Quidditch League Entries
by WritingBlock
Summary: This is a collection of stories based off of prompts from the Quidditch League Forum!
1. Temprance is a Virtue

_**Team: Puddlemere United**_

 _ **Position: Keeper**_

 _ **Word Count: 2151 on Google Documents.**_

* * *

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle is many things—monster, killer, evil—and he would have to agree with all of it. If there is one thing that he is not, however, it is being a gluttonous bastard. Well, bastard yes, but gluttonous no. In fact, he did everything in his power to avoid being a glutton, whether it be food or drink. You see, he had seen what gluttony does to people, and he would never allow himself to become one of them. Even his Inner Circle knew this from their last week of seventh year…._

* * *

Tom found himself in a quiet hallway, standing beneath a window looking out onto the grounds of Hogwarts. It was peaceful, and he found the silence relaxing. Now, all he had to think about was making his next Horcrux. He knew what it was going to be—in fact, he even knew who he was going to kill in order for it to be made. Now, he just needed to figure out how to get it where it needed to go, and how to get to it. Helena had said that the diadem was—

"My Lord?" a quiet voice spoke into the darkness, interrupting the stillness and silence that he had taken refuge in. Was it really too much to ask to be left alone? He needed to think! How did they expect him to be able to do that when they were all drunk out of their minds and acting like—

"What is it Abraxas?" Tom kept his voice cool and monotonous. After all, he was their Lord; he couldn't afford to show them his turmoil and disgust at the moment. None of them would understand, anyway. That was okay, though—they would receive their punishment later.

"The others were curious as to why you were not partaking in the celebrations. Are you not happy with our win over the Gryffindors?"

Tom turned to lean against the wall so he could look his right-hand man in the eye. He raised an eyebrow as he took in clues over what he had escaped from in the common room. Hell, he was surprised Abraxas hadn't cleaned himself off before he came in search of him.

Abraxas Malfoy was normally perfection. If he wasn't perfect, then there was something wrong. That fact had been ingrained into the man since birth, and whenever he went out, every single hair was in place and heaven forbid there be wrinkles. Both of the items mentioned above, however, were present on the man. Immaculate hair was replaced with golden tangles, and the pristine uniform was replaced with a freshly sexed look.

It was actually a very amusing sight to see.

"Is that what they are doing? It looked to me as if they were all trying to dance whilst reproducing an entire civilization. You would think that the fools would know better than to act like muggles." How would Abraxas react? Not only had he insinuated that the man was being unfaithful to his fiancee, but he had also said that the man was acting like a muggle—a far worse insult than the previous statement. Tom really did love this game of wits. It was one of the reasons he had taken the blond under his reign.

"It is merely the effects of the wine." Abraxas chuckled and moved a hand to smooth out wrinkles and pull his hair away from his face. "Father sent it for the festivities."

Tom stared at the man for a few minutes, letting the tension build as the blond began to fidget under his gaze.

"Oh? And has my illustrious Inner Circle allowed themselves to be seen as anything less than their best?" He narrowed his eyes here, allowing some of his frustration to show. Abraxas flinched and then relaxed his features again. The blond shrugged and took another step forward, his hands meeting behind his back.

Ah, the Malfoy still had some of his wits left.

"Avery has decided to lose his shirt and trance about with Hornby; Crabbe and Goyle passed out after their second glass—clearly, they couldn't handle a little fruit; and Dolohov is sulking in a chair by the fire because my fiancee refused to sit on his lap for the third time this week." This was said with a lazy flick of a hand, eyes never straying from the man opposite of him. Tom let himself sink into the thoughts of the Malfoy, interest peaking slightly as he saw that, indeed, all of this was true.

"And you Abraxas?" He let his voice sharpen; the other Slytherin knew that he hated to be lied or manipulated. Would he let the alcohol tempt his mind? Or would he let the rational whispers of fear override the haze?

"M-me, my lord?" Abraxas stuttered and took a step back.

Time to go in for the kill.

"Your fiancee may have said no to sitting on Avery's lap, but that is merely because she is currently two hallways down and locked in a closet with Augusta Pierce."* Tom spread his hands wide, his wand limp in his hand. Immediately, Abraxas' gaze focused on the stick of wood.

"I-My Lord!" Abraxas fell to his knees, his head bowed and body shivering. He had felt the Cruciatus Curse before—the feeling of knives of fire and ice sliding through every single nerve in his body; the feeling of every bone in his body breaking, repairing, and breaking themselves again and again; the feeling of his skin peeling back from his muscles—and it was something that he never wanted to feel again.

"Have you been unfaithful to your wife-to-be? It's not that difficult of a question. I thought you were better than the simpletons like Crabbe and Goyle." Tom let a sigh pass through his lips and stalked forward, his wand still hanging limply from his fingers. "Come now, Abraxas. A simple yes or no will suffice."

"Yes."

Tom grinned as he moved his wrist in a lazy flick, the familiar motion pulling his wand back into its holster. Another step forward and he was in front of the blond. The boy was shivering, and his trembling caused the hair that had been pulled behind his shoulders to now drape across his face and onto the floor.

It looks like this minion passed.

"Let's join the celebrations, Abraxas." When Abraxas' head snapped up and he stared into Tom's eyes with a look of awe and relief, Tom smirked. This is why he tortured the weak on occasion, because when they looked up at him like that—when they showed him their inner conflicts—it made him feel as if he had won the world. He was the one in power—no longer weak, no longer at the bottom of the barrel and being shoved around like he was scum.

"Thank you, my Lord." Abraxas took the hand that was offered and slowly stood up, his thoughts still stuck on what could've happened. The blond glanced at the dark haired man as they walked back to the Slytherin Common Rooms. Why had he come looking for Tom in the first place? The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Maybe he should ask—after all, Tom knew everything, even if he didn't.

"My Lord?" A small hum was the only response he got as they took a right. "I was wondering if you've ever wondered why people do things without ever knowing why?" Abraxas quickly cut himself off there. He may be more—for lack of a better word—fuzzy than normal, but he could keep a hold of his mind whilst intoxicated.

"There are many reasons as to why one would do so, Abraxas; all of them having to deal with human emotions," Tom stated with an air of boredom as they stopped in front of a blank wall. Out of the corner of his eye, Abraxas saw a hand motion between him and the wall.

"After you, Abraxas. After all, this is your celebrations." Tom grimaced at the happy glance his servant gave him before turning to the door. "Be the Snake under the Flower."** A faint click was heard and then a seam appeared within the bricks. Within seconds there was a doorway, and after the two boys entered, there was no sound as it sealed shut once more. There was a moment of silence and then sound erupted from every corner of the room; senseless chatter filtered in and out of the random noise, and occasionally one could hear a moan fly through the air before a wolf whistle sounded. Couples lay scattered about the dark room—some in shadowed corners and others on couches.

When Tom saw it all, he stopped, turned to Abraxas, and simply raised an eyebrow. The blond shrugged, having the grace to look slightly embarrassed before walking further into the room.

"Tom! Walburga grab the wine. Our Lord looks as if he-hic-could use a drink!" Tom rose his other eyebrow as he turned to look at the man shouting from two feet away. Orion Black stood grinning like an idiot, his arms outstretched and his tie around his forehead. Walburga, his fiancee, was waddling towards them, her arms ladened with half empty bottles and silver chalices.

"Don't worry, my-hic-Lord! Tonight will be one of your fondest memories!"

Tom let amusement color his thoughts for a couple seconds. Orion was normally calm and collected, and yet here he was—all rumpled and throwing his arms about as he stumbled over to give his walrus of a fiance a kiss. Now the amusement was gone—replaced by an overwhelming feeling of disgust. "Orion, Walburga, I see you two are enjoying yourselves."

"Oh yes, my Lord! And I must say that it's all because of the wine!" Walburga giggled and then moved to stand in front of Orion so that she could lean her chest onto his back. Orion grunted as he braced himself and then they both set to work preparing him a drink.

"Merlin, that's a disturbing sight." Abraxas stated as he came forward from a side room, his hair now brushed and his clothes changed.

Tom sighed and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was surrounded by idiots.

"Here you are, my Lord! The best cup filled with the best wine for-hic-the best man in the world!" Orion held the golden chalice out, the dark red wine inside sloshing up the sides as the man holding it stumbled.

Tom stared at it blankly for five seconds and then lashed out, his hand slapping the cup to the floor with a loud clang. The wine spread across the floor, the blood-like liquid drawing the gaze of everyone in the room as the cup rolled across the floor under a couch.

"W-was there something wro-hic-ong with it?" Orion asked like a disappointed child. His hands dangled by his side and his bottom lip quivered.

Tom raised his hand and slapped the man. When Orion simply stared at him in surprise, he slapped him again. The next time he slapped him, Orion was on his knees with his head bowed, sober.

"You are all fools—allowing a simple drink to cloud your minds and take over your actions. Avery, Black, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Dolohov, stay. The rest of you go to bed. This party is over." Immediately, Tom's orders were obeyed. Tom strode to the center of the room—the calm face that he had kept on as a mask gone. In its place was the cold face of Lord Voldemort.

"What were my orders to you tonight?" Tom kept his back to the fireplace, the flickering light cradling his form and keeping his face in shadow. His Inner Circle all kneeled before him, heads bowed and bodies trembling. "Well?"

"W-we were to keep the peace and not allow anything to get out of h-hand." Crabbe spoke up, his eyes focused on the Dark Lord's knees.

"And did you?" Tom drew his wand. Should he take pity on Abraxas and Crabbe? After all, they were the ones who answered his questions. Showing mercy to those who somewhat obeyed would only cause those who failed to want to succeed even more. Except, they didn't actually succeed did they? No, they merely showed that they weren't completely stupid.

"No, my Lord."

Tom nodded and waved his wand. "Silencio." All six kneeling forms froze for a fraction of a second before beginning to shake. A cruel smile spread its way across Tom's face. This was why he had spoken the charm aloud—to inspire the first stroke of fear.

"Not only did all of you fail to keep the peace here, but you also participated in the mayhem." Tom spoke softly as he conjured an armchair to sit in. Once he was seated comfortably, he raised his wand with a satisfied smile. It was time for him to join in the festivities.

"Abraxas, step forward."

* * *

 ** _*Augusta Pierce is the maiden name for Augusta Longbottom. She doesn't have a canon maiden name so I preceded to make one up!_**

 ** _**"Be the snake under the flower." This is a reference to William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth actually says: "Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't."_**


	2. Welcome to the Family, Mudblood

_**Team: Puddlemere United**_

 _ **Position: Keeper**_

 _ **Word Count: 1, 406 on Google Doc**_

* * *

Lucius Malfoy is a calculating, cruel, and heartless man. He prides himself on being able to smile at dying orphans and homeless muggles begging and pulling on his robes.

So why was this infant brat tugging at his heartstrings?

The baby had small brown tufts of hair sticking up at odd angles and dark brown eyes that shone with an inner light as she clapped her hands in laughter. Her mouth opened in small giggles as she lay between the cooling bodies of her parents.

"HA! Look at that! The baby's laughing at the death of her parents! Do you think the Dark Lord will get a kick out of that?" Bellatrix cooed and turned to her husband.

"We should add a couple of slices here and there, don't you think? Make it realistic for the muggles? The Dark Lord said that we should avoid drawing attention to the magical world when we do this." The man tilted his head to the side as he looked at his wife with a grin. Raising his wand he cast a dark red spell at the mother's body. A light blue shield shimmered into place around the bodies as the infant let out another giggle.

"It's a Mudblood!" Bellatrix hissed out and then began to shoot curse after curse at the child. "You don't deserve to live filth! Crucio! Bombarda! Reducto! Avada Ke-"

"Bella," Lucius called out, his voice taking on a bored tone. "Do you remember what the Dark Lord told us?"

Bella glowered at him.

"That's right. We're to take all of the Mudbloods we find back to the Dark Lord." He paused here. "So what are you doing?" He strode forward, pushing Bellatrix out of the way with his cane. With a practiced move, his wand was free of the cane and pointed at the child.

Nothing happened.

"What was that supposed to do Lucius, make the child cry?" Rabastan mocked him. Lucius took a small, calming breath and put away his wand before kneeling in front of the child. Narcissa had told him many times that approaching a child without a smile and inner calm would only bring chaos and temper tantrums. Time to put his wife's dreaming information to the test. He knelt down and plastered a fake smile on his face, his arms outstretched.

"Come here child." The baby gave him a curious glance over before gurgling and crawling forward, her arms and knees pumping. When the child reached his arms he scooped her up, standing and turning around to face the two imbeciles he had to work with for the night.

"Lead the way."

* * *

They arrived at Malfoy Manor with a series of cracks. Lucius frowned; he had forgotten about the baby in his arms and the effects that apparition has. He looked down and raised an eyebrow. The child was clapping her hands and giggling! What was wrong with it?

"After you Lucius. You do have the child after all." Bella sneered and gave him a mock curtsy. Lucius ignored her and strode into his house and towards the parlor. When the doors opened he strode exactly four steps into the room and then knelt.

"My Lord, I have brought a Mudblood." He held the infant out and she giggled.

"Excellent Lucius. Step forward, bring her to me."

Lucius stood, the baby cradled back to his chest as he walked towards the chair by the fireplace. In the chair sat a man around the age of fifty. He had black hair with random gray streaks here and there. His eyes were a dark red and when he turned them on the infant in Lucius' hands, the child whimpered and curled back into Lucius' arms.

"She's a Mudblood?"

"Yes, my Lord. Bellatrix cast three curses at the child and she repelled all of them."

"Show me."

Lucius winced. He hated this part of reporting in. The Dark Lord was subtle as a bull in a china shop when it came to the art of minds. He looked up into the eyes of his Master and winced internally as he pulled the thought to the front of his mind. Immediately he felt the pressure of the Dark Lord in his mind, the cold fingers of the other man's grasping mind pulling and twisting his brain as it searched.

"Interesting..."

Lucius closed his eyes and resumed kneeling, thanking Merlin that it didn't last as long as normal. A small hand pressed itself to his nose and he opened his eyes. The baby was staring up at him with a toothless grin. His heart thumped and he found himself thinking that he wouldn't mind having a daughter.

"Lucius, you and Narcissa have been struggling to have a child, correct?" The Dark Lord sent him a smile. "I want you and Narcissa to adopt this little one here. I want to see what happens when a Mudblood is raised with Pureblood beliefs."

Lucius blinked and reached up to grasp the baby's hand. "Thank you, my Lord. Would you like to name her?" He looked up at the Dark Lord, hoping that he hadn't offended the man in any way.

"Tell me, Lucius, have you ever heard of William Shakespeare? He's a blood traitor that went to live in the muggle world and earn his living off of stories of old."

Ten minutes later found Lucius in his bedroom holding his new daughter, Hermione Malfoy.

"Welcome to the family, Mudblood." He let out a sigh and then sat on the bed, his gaze finding itself locked onto the infant once more. "Now what am I to do with you?"

She was sleeping now, her little hands curled into fists. She was still clothed in just a diaper, the same one that she was wearing when they had found her at the muggle home, and that wouldn't do at all. A handkerchief was plucked out of his pocket and transfigured into a small, ice blue dress. He looked between the cloth and the sleeping infant.

How was he going to do this?

This arm went in this hole, this arm in that hole, and the head went through that one! Lucius frowned and tilted his head to the side. It looked wrong somehow. He stared for a couple more minutes then it hit him. It was on backward! A groan escaped his mouth as he tugged the dress back off the child and then he froze when a loud cry pierced the air.

Shit.

"Stop crying! I'm getting you dressed you insufferable crying beast!" Lucius dumped the crying child on the bed next to him and dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face. The crying got steadily louder and when it got to the point where his ears were almost bleeding, he dropped his hands and turned. Then that the most curious thing happened, she stopped crying.

It was only when she reached her hands up and tangled them in his hair that he realized what had happened. The way that he had turned to look at her, his hair had shifted to account for gravity and now lay hanging over his shoulder. The end of the blond tips stopped three inches before her nose and she was fascinated. Her brown eyes were wide with tears still glistening from where she had been crying only seconds before. Tiny fingers reached out and stroked the fine yellow strands; hands opening and closing as they drifted between her fingers.

Lucius found himself staring at her for minutes in silent appreciation as she amused herself with his hair. Why was she so astonished by his hair? It was just hair after all. She had her own hair, soft tufts of brown that poofed here and there, so why was she so fascinated? His brow furrowed as he thought, his hand coming up to pull more of his hair down for Hermione to play with.

The girl giggled as she pulled one fist from his hair and promptly stuck it in her mouth. Lucius felt a smile tug at his lips and he sat up, his hands lifting her into the air and back onto his lap. He quickly dressed her again, correctly this time as well, and then stood. Hermione was cradled in the crook of his arm, and as he walked slowly towards the door he whispered something to the yawning baby.

"Let's go introduce you to mummy."


	3. The Great Malfoy Rescue

**Team: **_Puddlemere United_

 **Position: **_Keeper_

 **Prompt: **_'The Rescuers' from QLFC_

 **Word Count:** _2,772 Without A/N on Google Docs_

 **Warning(s): **_This will be an AU and Slight-Crack story. Be aware that their will be over exaggeration and OOC-ness._

* * *

"For our next order of business, we have a request from beyond the grave. Severus Snape has asked us to save his Godson from Death Eater clutches. Is there anyone here willing to battle werewolves, dementors, and possible death for one-ah..." Albus Dumbledore trailed off as he leaned over to Fawkes. The phoenix let out a squawk, his wings spreading and sprouting patches of fire as he screeched some more. "Yes, yes, Alright! For one...Draco Malfoy."

"WHAT?!" Ron shot to his feet, his face red and blue eyes blazing as he stared at the old Headmaster of Hogwarts' painting. Harry was right next to him in his protest, green eyes flaring as they narrowed. Hermione sighed, her eyes rolling to the sky.

It has been two years since they lost the Battle of Hogwarts. They lost many in the battle. Molly, Fred and George, Luna, Tonks, Kingsley, and Oliver. There were many things brought to light too. Like the fact that Severus Snape was in love with Harry's mother, or the fact that Ginny and Neville were having a secret affair and Ginny was pregnant now. Hermione glanced over at her two best friends. The boys were still screaming their lungs out.

"I'll go." Silence followed her words. "I'll save Draco, but I'll need someone to come with me." Hermione stood up and looked towards the large painting at the head of the table. Ron and Harry were staring at her in disbelief and she was ignoring them with all the skills accumulated skills of nine years of practice. The two boys exchanged a look.

"Hermione! What are you doing? You can't do that!" Ron yelled, stepping away from his chair and storming over to grab her shoulder.

"Hermione have you lost your mind! You're supposed to be the smart one!" Harry turned an accusing gaze on her and the brunette kept her eyes locked on those of blue paint.

"I'm doing what's right, what I think is something that should be done. You don't have to go with me and you don't have to accept this, but I am going to do it. There is nothing you can do to stop me. Now, Ron, let. Me. Go." Ron growled at her and tightened his grip. "I will count to three and if you've not let go I will make you let go."

Hermione counted to three in her head, her muscles tensing as she recalled all of the self-defense lessons her dad had made her take during the summers she was home from Hogwarts. When she hit three in her head her hand came up to land on top of Ron's, her nails digging into his flesh with all the force she could muster. The ginger-haired boy let out a yelp and loosened his grip. Hermione grasped ahold of his hand and spun around, her balled fist meeting with the flesh right beneath his ribs and making the air rush out of his lungs.

"Hermione!" Harry cried as he rushed forward to hold the collapsing Ron. "What are you doing?!"

"I told him to let me go and he didn't." Hermione stated as she walked away. "Albus, I'm heading to my room to pack. If you need me then look there, the library, or the potions lab. When I'm done, I'll find you." And with those words she left the room.

Three hours later Hermione was packed with enough supplies to last her a year. Of course, she looked as if she was only going out for a day due to all of it being packed into her purse. Now that she had everything that she needed, all she had to do was go see Albus and discuss who her partner is going to be. As she walked towards the meeting room, she contemplated who it might be. Ron and Harry were obviously out, as were Ginny and Neville. She wouldn't ask any of the Weasley's to separate themselves after the deaths of Molly, Fred, and George. Remus was also out because of his son, and...

Well, after that there was no one else.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Have you finished all of your packing?" Hermione looked up and realized that she had entered the room and sat down in her regular chair while she was lost in her thoughts. A quick look around the room confirmed that she was alone.

"Yes sir, and I've been thinking about who my partner might be but I can't seem to come up with anyone. Remus have already as to be here for Teddy, Harry and Ron obviously don't want to go and if they're forced to they'll do something stupid to avoid it, Ginny and Neville have a child on the way, and all of the Weasley's have already lost enough of their family members. And when you take all of that into consideration I don't have a the option of a partner."

"Of course, I've taken that into consideration." Albus smiled inside of his painting. "The blank canvas inside the Potion's lab, I want you to take it with you. If you ever need advice the painting will supply you with a reasonable answer."

Hermione blinked. That was the painting of Severus Snape. Her partner was going to be her old Potion's Professor.

This was going to be fun.

-XxXxXxX-

Three days later Hermione found herself in a tent outside of Malfoy Manor. She had been waiting for two days and those two days were nightmare filled. Memories of her time with Bellatrix filled her dreams at night, and during the day the screams of those inside the manor haunted her thoughts. It was made worse by the fact that she could only save one of them.

"Granger. Why are you lying on the floor."

"Professor!" Hermione sat up with a gasp, her eyes heading towards the painting that was propped up by the fireplace.* She quickly stood up, the crackers she had been nibbling on falling to the floor. "I was just-"

"Yes, yes I'm sure it was interesting. Do you plan to do anything or are you just going to use this time as a Vacation from the other two idiots." Severus Snape glared at her from his portrait, his black eyes boring into her soul even if they were just paint.

"I'm trying to figure out how to get a message to him first. I don't know the layout, who's in there, or even what type of defenses there are." Hermione huffed, crossing her arms and bringing her thumb up to nibble on the end of her nail. "But everything I've thought of has at least three flaws."

"Did you ever think of simply asking me foolish girl?" Hermione's eyes widened, snapping up to look at Severus. The man was smirking at her, His dark cloak wrapped around his crossed arms. Greasy black hair hung down, draping over pale skin and a strong jaw.

"What, but they would've changed everything right?"

"Yes, but you're not the only one with a painting of me." Hermione's mouth dropped open, closing seconds later with a snap.

"OH, of course I knew that! How could I not? It's not like this is the first time I've seen you in your painting since we got it!" The brunette ranted angrily, her hands flying into the air and waving as she stomped towards the fireplace. Her bushy hair sparked with magic as she ranted to the square frame.

"And another thing, how do I sneak into Malfoy Manor without HIM noticing?! I may know how to do magic but that's asking a bit much!" Hermione finished with a flourish, her hands coming to rest on her hips as her chest heaved. It was then that the fact that the portrait was empty hit her.

"That ass!"

-XxXxXxX-

"Draco." Draco looked up from the book he had been reading. The small painting that he kept on his bedside table was now occupied.

"Uncle Severus." The blond whispered in relief, his book thrown carelessly onto the floor as he sat up straight. He had been alone for months, waiting for the painting to be occupied, for his Godfather to appear in black and white.

"Draco, I don't have much time. Now, tell me about your step-father. Has he asked you about anything? Are you hurt? How is your mother?"

"He wants the Malfoy fortune. Father left it to me and because I am of age, only I can access it. Marrying Mother was his way to get to the fortune and he killed her the day after he found out only I could access it." Draco spat, tears welling up in his eyes before being pushed back down. "Now he keeps me locked up in this room, waiting for me to crack under the pressure."

The last Malfoy smiled grimly. "What he doesn't understand is that he killed my mother and now I will do everything to make sure his plans fail, that he gets punished for what he's done."

"I have someone outside who is going to get you out of here from that blasted bird society. If you help them, help the bird, then I promise you you'll get your revenge for your mother."

-XxXxXxX-

Two days later Hermione found herself laying on the floor once again. This time however, she had four books spread out around her, her hair up in a large bun held up by three quill's, and three notebooks open to different points.

"This makes sense. In order for me to even get close to the manor I'm going to have to figure out how to get past the blood wards. I'm a Mudblood so in order for me to get across I'm going to have to either be taken in as a prisoner or I'm going to have to sneak in with a group of Snatchers. But how to get out is the real trick. Maybe Draco will know a secret passageway to the burrow!" Hermione gasped and slapped her cheeks before dissolving into giggles and fell back onto the large stack of pillows behind her.

"Once again, why are you on the floor?"

Hermione sighed. There was no point in answering a question that was never asked. It was just like last time.

"I'm trying to figure out how to get past the Blood Wards." Hermione huffed out as she got to her feet, shuffling over to the fireplace. Severus Snape was sitting in his large armchair, his black eyes focused on a point past her head.

"I have the information you asked for earlier. It took a while because Draco had to get acquainted with his new fiancé Pansy." Severus sneered, his eyes narrowing. "The filthy pug wouldn't leave the room to bathe."

Hermione gagged. "I could've lived happily without that knowledge."

"Grab some parchment girl, I'm about to divulge all the dirty secrets, the in's and out's of Malfoy manor." Hermione nodded, spinning on her heel and reaching down to grab one of the purple books from her pile. Within seconds she was seated on the arm of a chair and filling in the information Severus rattled off.

"All of his Inner Circle are residing in the Manor. I'm assuming that they gave you that information? Now, other than those ten there are their families. Wives, children, siblings, any relation to those on the inside and you have yourself a room. They test those relations through the Blood Ward. Then there is Greyback's pack. They have control of the grounds and are out every night patrolling. There are also dementors." Hermione deflated with each word.

It looked as if she was going to have to go with Plan C.

She just loved Plan C.

-XxXxXxX-

"What are you doing?" Severus asked, causing Hermione to grin and turn around.

"One of the projects I have been working on throughout the past two years is a way to use magical tattoos. Therefore, I have tattooed my beaded bag onto my hip! With just a small flare of magic, the tattoo activates and I can take out my bag. Because I chose to use my bag, anything that is stored in the bag goes with it! And since this bag can hold anything that fits inside of it, I can practically outfit a small army after being taken prisoner! I also have a small snitch tattooed across my chest so that if my heart ever stops, Harry will receive a notice that I've died." The brunette shrugged as she pulled her wand away from her chest.

"After being taken prisoner. Is that your plan?" Severus tilted his head as they stared at each other.

"Of course not! I'm going to ask to join them! I have all of it planned out. Now hold still, I'm going to put you in my hip." Hermione grinned and stalked forward.

"Loss of sleep has clouded your mind. Take a Dreamless Sleep potion and then tell me the plan again in two days." The painting scowled at her and then the figure walked off leaving an empty chair behind.

Hermione sighed, dropping her wand onto the small table next to her. She would wait another two days and then if he didn't agree...she would carry the plan out anyway.

-XxXxXxX-

"Granger." Hermione jerked awake, the book in her hand flying towards the area where the voice came from. "I have a way for you to get in and Draco to get out. The boy is allowed outside for one hour around midday, there's a path there that leads to the back of the estate. He said that if you could cause a distraction at the front of the gate and get rid of the wall at the back, both of you could escape. He has one condition though."

"Condition?" Hermione snickered. "He does realize that I'm getting him out whether he wants it or not, right?"

"Yes." Severus scowled, his arms crossing above his chest. "He wants to attempt to end his life. He killed Draco's mother and the boy doesn't agree with that."

"I can agree with that. Tell him we go through with it today since it's five in the morning," Hermione glared at the painting before smiling cruelly. "And that he better have ear plugs."

-XxXxXxX-

Draco glanced behind him as he walked through the small forest at the back of his estate. The past week he had followed this trail back to the wall and followed it around, that's why he had mentioned it to Severus in the first place. It was already apart of his routine and they left him alone because of it. When he reached the wall, he looked around for the hole Severus had said would be there. The blond scowled when he saw that there was no hole.

And right when he finished thinking that, the world exploded.

Draco flew backwards, landing on the ground with a gasp. His ears were ringing and he couldn't figure out why. It was only when he struggled to his feet and saw the large hole in the wall, the chunks of rocks scattered about the forest floor, and the smoke rising over the trees from the other side of the compound that he realized his rescuer had blown the gate up at the same time as the back wall.

"Malfoy! Stop standing there like an idiot and get over here!" A voice called out from behind him. Draco spun around and froze.

Standing there in the middle of the wreckage, her hair pulled back in a braid and her clothes slightly smoldering, was Hermione Granger.

"You're my rescuer?!"

"Yes! Now get your ass over here so I can get us both out of here! In thirty seconds the manor is going to explode as well!" Hermione shouted, her arm reaching out towards him.

"You're crazy!" Draco screamed back, jumping over a large block of stone and racing towards her outstretched hand. As soon as his fingers brushed across her skin, he felt himself twisting and turning, his body being squeezed. When he blinked, he found himself standing on a street, staring at a large wall of doors and windows.

"Mission complete." Hermione stated smugly, her hand dropping Draco's and reaching into her pocket for a piece of paper. "Read this and then we're heading inside. Once you get settled in we're going to send some people over to your old place to see if it's gone."

Draco took the paper and read it aloud.

"The Flaming Turkey Bird Organization can be found at number 12 Grimmauld Place."

* * *

 ***The tent she is using a Wizarding tent and that's why there is a fireplace in a tent.**


	4. Who Knew a Ghost Could Suffocate Too?

_**Prompts:** Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. **QLFC Round 10 Keeper Prompt**_  
 _Write about someone who feels as if they're being suffocated. **Charms Assignment #4**_  
 _How long had he been standing there? **Quidditch Pitch**_  
 _Basilisk. **Drabble Club**_  
 _Horned Slugs-Write about a person being left vulnerable. **Potions Club**_

 _ **Word Count:** 967 without the A/N_

* * *

It was quiet in the halls of Hogwarts. Of course, if you asked anyone at Hogwarts they could tell you the reason with a single word.

Heir.

A simple four-letter word, and yet it held so much meaning in it. It held the fear of the students feeling like they would be attacked next and killed, the fear of the teachers feeling like they would fail their duties in protecting the students, and the fear of the ghosts feeling like their beloved Hogwarts would close and they would never speak to a human again.

"We have to do something!" Sir Nicholas shouted out, glaring at the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin House, who glared right back at him. The Bloody Baron floated over to yell in his face.

"And do what? You forget that we're just faded souls lost in the Human dimension; we can't do anything!"

"Please, both of you stop arguing! It's not going to solve any of our problems!" The Gray Lady floated in between the two men, her cold eyes piercing both of them. The Fat Friar nodded and floated over to be even with her right side, facing the Bloody Baron.

"Instead of arguing whether or not we can do anything, why don't we come up with a plan?" The dead monk smiled softly and spread his arms wide. "How can we protect the students as we are?"

"Hogwarts will tell us when a student wanders around alone, why don't we stick with them? That way if they are attacked, then we can get a teacher to them quicker." The Ravenclaw ghost spoke quietly, one of her hands waving in the air as she talked. The Bloody Baron nodded his head, a soft smile crossing his face as he stared at the gray lady. The ghost of Gryffindor scoffed, turning in the other direction and crossing his arms.

"Fine, but we start tonight." Sir Nicholas didn't turn around to look at his fellow House ghosts, instead, he floated through the wall and focused on what Hogwarts was telling him.

 **'Nicholas, there's a student from Hufflepuff directly above you wandering around alone. I don't like the vibe that I'm getting from that area.'**

 _'Alright Hogwarts, I'm heading that way.'_

Sir Nicholas sighed and tilted his head back, lifting a hand to grasp the back of his head and prevent it from falling to the side like it was apt to do. The feeling of his form shifting through the walls of Hogwarts and the magic that ran through the walls gave him the illusion of warmth, and he felt himself give a soft smile at the warm voice in his head.

 _'Please be careful Nichols.'_

The ghost of Gryffindor smiled and with a small nod, floated out of the floor and hovered to a stop in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley, a second year Hufflepuff.

"Hello, Justin! How are you tonight?" The young boy smiled nervously at him.

"I'm doing good Sir Nicholas. I just finished with my Potions essay and am on my way back to the Common Room. My partner wasn't finished yet so I told him that I would just continue on my own." Justin smiled and continued walking down the hall, Sir Nicholas hovering directly in front of him as they talked.

"Ah, well then I'll walk with you back to the common room and then I'll go back for your friend. It just won't do for students to wander about alone when it begins to get dark." The friendly ghost wagged a finger at the boy teasingly. Justin laughed slightly, shifting the books in his arms as he turned the corner.

"So what have you been u-" The boy cut himself off mid-sentence, one hand frozen up in the air from where he waved it while talking. Sir Nicholas blinked, wincing when the boy fell onto his back and stayed there.

"What's going on?" The ghost whispered to himself, turning around to go get a teacher. He froze at the sight of a large basilisk in front of him. Large yellow eyes pinned him in place, on top of it's head a large Mohawk of red feathers swayed gently with the large snake's movements.

 _'Hogwarts, warn the others. Ghosts can be effected by the basilisk of Hogwarts as well.'_

 **'...'**

 _'Hogwarts?'_

The school didn't answer him. And as the basilisk slithered out of view, Sir Nicholas felt his vision disappearing. The feeling of breathing that he had allowed himself to indulge in disappeared, and his hearing lessened significantly. His thinking slowed and he found all of his thoughts and reactions happening three hours after they occurred. Every single thing that happened around him came to him as if they were moving through flobberworm mucus. It was suffocating.

-XxXxXxX-

"How do we...get the cure into...a ghost? I mean, we...can't really...have him swallow...the thing." The voice of Poppy Pomfrey filtered through his mind. How long had he been standing there? He had no clue, he was just relieved that he was hearing someone speak to him. He normally only heard random screams of pain or the occasional shout of joy as a person was relieved of a horrible sickness. Not really a happy thought.

"Why don't we spray...it on him? I'll...go ask Severus if it's possible...to...convert the potion...into a gas-like state, or...if it's...possible to put it into...a spray bottle." The uncertain voice of Minerva McGonagall popped into his head and he felt himself smile inside of his head. It seemed as if he would finally be free of this prison. **  
**


	5. A Life Lost and a Love Gained

_Write a Lily Lives!AU where the first and last word are exactly the same. **Keeper prompt from the QLFC**_  
 _"There's a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out." - Lou Reed **Quidditch Pitch**_

 _ **Word Count:** 1,410_

* * *

James Potter kissed his wife on the cheek as they sat on the couch. Harry, their son, lay on the floor, his arms wrapped around a small stuffed werewolf as he slept soundly. Lily grinned and turned to kiss him on his mouth, her arms coming up to wrap around him.

"Love, you know that I'm always down for kissing you, but Harry is two feet away from us." Lily murmured and James kissed her again. The messy-haired Potter pulled back and laughed, his arms pulling the love of his life closer until she was in his lap.

"Lily, I love you and your morals." A smack followed that statement and James let another laugh leave his lips. The two sat in silence, their gazes switching between their son and the flames that danced in the fireplace. A knock on the door woke Harry up and both of the parents jumped to their feet. Lily went to pick Harry up while James went to the door.

"Remus!" Both men grinned tiredly at each other and exchanged hugs before heading inside the house.

"MooMoo!" A small voice cried out.

Remus smiled softly and accepted the small child into his arms, cuddling the boy under his chin. The boy let out a giggle at the strange man's scruff rubbing against his cheeks. Pudgy little hands reached up and grasped onto a nose and ear before bright green eyes stared up in awe.

"Hello little Har-"

The werewolf was cut off by a large silver bear bursting through the wall. All three of the adults in the room froze and had their wands drawn.

"James, we're being attacked. You-Know-Who! Peter is here trying to get in!"

And with the message delivered the misty figure disappeared. A flurry of movements followed it. Lily flew to Remus, taking her son from his arms and dashing up the stairs to pack a bag for all three of them. They knew that if something happened, they had to find a way to disappear from the world completely. Remus and James both fled through the front door, activating the Protection Wards before turning on the spot and vanishing from view.

 **-XxXxXxX-**

It was hours before someone showed up at the safe-house they had created. Lily had put Harry down to bed and then paced in front of the door with worry. There was this pain in her chest and for some reason she couldn't get it to go away. The door creaked as it opened on old hinges and Lily threw herself forward, into the arms of whoever had just entered her house. She knew that it was one of two people–Remus or James–because only they knew how to get to the warded land. Sirius had insisted that they use Peter for the Secret Keeper instead of him because he was an obvious choice. Lily had given it a day and then she had given the secret to Remus. She knew that his mind was always safe, one of the only perks of being a werewolf, and he had told no one.

"Lily." A deep voice whispered and her legs fell from under her. Tears filled her eyes and she let her head fall into the small space between Remus' shoulder and neck. Her mouth opened into a wail and she poured her heart into her grief.

 **-XxXxXxX-**

"Please, Remus, tell me everything that happened. I need to know." It was the next day and Harry was eating a bowl of cut up bananas as the two sat at the table. The werewolf looked at the broken woman, golden eyes filled with pain and sorrow.

"When we got there I rushed inside in order to help Augusta to the Floo with Neville and James stayed behind to build up the wards and defenses with Frank. Alice was staying between Augusta and Neville with me, trying to act as another line of defense. We had made it to the library when the wall behind us was blown inward. When Alice and I turned to see who it was," Remus spoke in a whisper, his eyes never straying from the redhead. "It was Peter. Lily he was floating James with him and he was accompanied by Bellatrix and her husband. Augusta and Alice threw me into the fireplace and I was taken to Hogwarts."

Blazing green eyes flew up to lock on his and he nodded grimly. A small porcelain teacup was thrown at the wall and Lily picked her giggling son up.

"That's all I needed to hear." And then Lily walked out of the room, the baby in her arms waving goodbye to him sadly.

Remus sniffed, the scent of James filling his senses as he buried his face in his arms. Images of the aftermath filled his head; Frank laying dismembered in front of the house, Augusta hanging limply from the chandelier, Alice missing a leg and lying over a crying baby Neville who didn't realize what was happening or that the mother he was screaming for was dead. The dirty blond had no idea how long he laid there, but he didn't raise his head until a hand laid itself on top of his hadn't heard Lily reenter the room.

"We'll stay here until it's time for Harry to go to Hogwarts. Then I will become a Professor, hell an Assistant if I have too! We will protect Harry, and we will protect each other."

Remus nodded and lifted his head, turning in the chair to hug Lily around the waist.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to protect him."

Lily smiled sadly down at her second best was blaming himself for things that they had no control over; typical Remus. She lifted a hand to wipe the tears from her face and then she rested it on the quivering back below her.

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything differently Remus."

 **-XxXxXxX-**

Years passed and eventually the group found themselves stepping into a packed train station in London. A woman with long red hair a soft green eyes was smiling softly at the boy that clung to her waist. He had messy black hair and eyes that matched his mother's. Perched on his nose was a pair of thin wire glasses. On the other side of the woman was a man with shaggy, dirty blond hair. His arm was also wrapped around the waist of the redhead, and on his face was a set of scars that slashed violently across his nose. The trio quickly strode through the throng of people and made their way to platform 10, stopping at the large column that stood between their destination and the platform behind it. Lily smiled at her son and grasped his hand tightly.

"You ready, Harry?"

The boy nodded and with smiles exchanged all around, the group stepped through a wall of stone. After they were through to the other side, Lily took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Remus, and then began to walk towards the large red train ahead of them.

"Mom, why's she crying? I thought you said that pretty girls don't cry?" Harry tugged on the sleeve of her blouse and pointed at a small girl by the entrance. She was sitting on her trunk and her shoulders were trembling slightly. Her hair was a large bush and when she brushed it out of her eyes Lily felt a smile tug at her lips. The girl wasn't crying, in fact, she looked angry.

"She's not crying, Harry," Remus answered the boy, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Maybe she's lonely? Why don't you go talk to her?"

Determination sparked in the young man's green eyes and he drew his shoulders up before strutting over to the girl. Lily and Remus watched quietly as their son introduced himself to the girl before shaking her hand and grabbing her trunk. The two kids started towards the train, both of them grinning wildly at whatever they were talking about. Lily sighed leaning back into the werewolf. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned forward to press a kiss to the side of her head.

"It's like looking into the past, Remus. It hurts sometimes how similar he looks to James." **  
**


	6. A Day at the Bank

_Write a Muggle!AU, a Noir, or a Soap Opera. **QLFC Round 13 Keeper Prompt for Puddlemere United  
**_ _"I was being sarcastic." **Quidditch Pitch  
**_ _Write about passion and reason working side by side. **Potions Club  
**_ _Write about a character who relies on their intuition to make a decision. **Ancient Runes Assignment #7  
**_ _Hermione Granger **Extra Prompt**_

 ** _Dedicated to the members of my team for an excellent run this season, my housemates over in Slytherin on the Hogwarts Houses Challenges forum for their support, and the Ravenclaws over on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum for being so welcoming! Love you Guys!_**

 _ **Word Count:** 2,630_

* * *

Hermione screamed as a splattering of bullets hit the wall above her head. Plaster dust and chunks of concrete fell onto her curled up body, and the brunette found herself unable to stop shivering. Screams and the loud bangs of a gun being fired filled the air, and Hermione just stayed behind the large potted plant.

All she had wanted was to set up a bank account, was that too much to ask?

It must have been because seconds after she had entered the place, a bunch of men in silver masks and long black trench coats barreled in, waving around rifles and pistols, screaming for everyone to get down. The young woman had darted behind a large green pot that contained a palm tree, then some idiot decided to tackle one of the men shouting for money. Of course, that just caused chaos to reign down on everyone else.

"Psst!"

Hermione's head jerked up from underneath her arms and whipped around. There was a doorway behind her, and crouched in it, was a man with messy black hair and emerald green eyes. Confusion filled the woman as the man sighed and gestured with his hand for her to crawl his way. She hesitated for a second, wondering if she should do as the man wanted. Her gut was screaming for her to do it and so she steeled her nerves. A glance over her shoulder confirmed that the rest of the men dressed in black were all busy with getting the money from the tellers, and then the brunette was making a dash for it.

"What do you want?" Her question came out in a harsh whisper and the man chuckled. He grabbed her upper arm, pulling her into a run. "Where are we going?!"

"There's a safe room! I've already gathered a couple of people there!" The voice was slightly rough as he dragged her down a second hallway. "I'm a police officer and I've got a plan to get as many people out of the way as possible. When we get there, I need you to keep calm and keep quie—"

Hermione yanked the man to a stop, grunting in pain as his grip on her arm tightened. "Hold on a second! I don't know who you are; how do I know that you aren't one of those men and are taking me hostage? Hell, I don't even know your name!"

"Really? You're going to do this now?"

"Yes! I don't want to die!" Hermione huffed and put her hands on her hips. Incredulous laughter erupted from the man and he ran his hands through his hair once before turning his gaze back to her.

"I don't know how to prove to you I'm not the bad guy," the man spoke. "The only way I think to convince you is for you to come with me." He held out his hand and Hermione stared at the limb.

"Fine." She reached out and placed her hand in his, ignoring the shiver that ran down her spine in response. "I'm placing my life in your hands. Try not to lose it."

"Heh, my name's Harry by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Hermione. Pleasure's mine, I think," the brunette groaned as the man once again tugged her into a run. Another minute or so of running and then Harry was pulling her to a stop in front of a large grey door. Hermione was gasping for air, cursing her bookworm ways, while Harry reached up a hand to knock on the door. A jaunty tune followed, and the door opened immediately. A blonde woman with large blue eyes was staring out of the crack in the door.

"Oh, it's just Harry. You can put the chair down now, Ron." A bright smile filled the strange woman's face and she stepped back, pulling the door open with her. A man with shaggy red hair was lowering a desk chair back to the floor, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Really? A chair?" Hermione questioned as the two entered the room and the door was once again hut tight.

"What's wrong with the chair? It's a perfectly good weapon." Ron crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the new woman.

"You throw the chair at one assailant and it works, but what if there was a second one? Or a third? You don't even know if the chair would affect the first attacker. Sure, it's a great way to stun them for a couple seconds, but it wouldn't have worked in the first place," she lectured as she walked over to a corner and placed her back to it.

"Well I—You—Harry, just who is this girl?!" Ron's face got redder and redder, eventually stopping at a color that was just purple enough to stand out from his hair.

"Excuse you?" Hermione shoved away from the wall and stood at full height, brushing a lock of bushy hair away from her eyes so that she could glare unobstructed at the man-child.

"Ronald, be nice. She's being helpful, and you're being rude. Hello, my name's Luna Lovegood. Pleasure to meet you!"

"Rude?! I was just trying to pro—"

"Her name's Hermione, and she's right." Harry interrupted the raving man with a raised hand. "Now, we need to come up with a plan on how to save the rest of those people."

"Well, they'll be left alive as long as no one else tries to play hero, right?" Ron questioned, sitting in the chair and throwing one leg over the other. "We should just stay here and try to not cause any more trouble."

"There's a mechanical room that contains backup generators." Luna stated airly, settling herself on the redheads knee without a smidgen of embarrassment. Ron blushed and turned his face away. Hermione grinned behind her hand and then turned to the man they had unwittingly declared leader.

"We could always break the chair that Ron's sitting on and have each of us take a part before going out there and using them as bats," Hermione drawled, settling her weight into her left foot and staring at the ceiling.

"Are—are you crazy?"

"I think she's gone mad."

Hermione blinked and refocused her gaze on the couple in the chair. Luna's mouth had dropped open, and Ron was staring at her as if she had a disease. Hysterical giggles escaped her mouth before she could stop them. Eventually her laughter came to a stop, and she took a deep breath before shooting everyone a reassuring smile.

"I was being sarcastic. I would never actually suggest that, but the nerves are getting to me."

"I understand." Harry had been quiet for awhile, so his voice startled her. "You needed to do something to take the edge off or you would've panicked. There's a woman called Tonks who works with my Uncle that does the same thing." A soft smile was sent her way, and Hermione felt her heart beat a little fast.

"Alright," Hermione clapped her hands together and then began to think out loud. "We need to figure out if we can get to the power source for the bank. Luna, you said you knew where the storage room is?"

"Yes, I do. I'm a bank teller here."

"We need paper and pencil so that Luna can draw us a map of this place, if we know where we're going, there's a lesser chance of getting killed due to running straight into a wave of bullets." The brunette began to pace the room, unaware of the looks of awe on the others faces as she reasoned out a plan. "From there, we can do an inventory of this room and the surrounding rooms. Once we know what we have to work with, we can figure it out from there. Personally, I want to make sure the bastards are captured and are never able to do that again, but I don't want anyone to die if we try to be heroes."

Everyone was silent, and Hermione grew increasingly nervous. She had done it again, spoke without thinking, and any second now she would get ridiculed for it. A sign from the right drew her gaze; green eyes held hers for what seemed to be hours. Finally, the man nodded and grinned at her.

"It's a plan. Hermione, Luna, you two stay here while Ron and I scout out the rooms adjacent to this one and gather everything you think could be useful." Harry spoke quickly, walking over to the door and cracking it. The blonde groaned and slipped off of Ron's lap.

"I was so comfortable though."

Hermione let a giggle slip through her lips at the pouting woman and then turned to begin digging through the cabinet that was in front of her.

"I found a Snickers!" Luna's delighted voice filtered over from the left, and Hermione felt some of the tension leave her. They were going to survive. She had no clue as to why she felt this way, all she knew was that she had faith in the man who had dragged her away from a potted plant, a man who had planned to chuck a chair at her the first time she met him, and a woman who didn't seem fazed by gunmen interrupting her work day.

The feeling of cold metal underneath her fingers brought her out of her mind and she focused on her task once again. A round object was drawn out of the cabinet and into the light, and Hermione's jaw dropped in shock.

"Is this...a smoke grenade?"

Luna's head popped up over her shoulder, staring for a couple of seconds and then letting out a large gasp.

"I've been looking for this! I had brought it for the Halloween party last year and we ended up not using it!"

The small object was yanked out of her hands and Hermione found herself giggling once again. Knocking on the door startled her out of her hysterics, and both girls stared at the door.

 ** _Knock. Knockknockknock. Knock Knock._**

"Oh, that's Harry's knock!" Luna exclaimed with glee, skipping over to the door and opening it once again. The two men stumbled in, arms filled with random things that they dumped into a pile right in front of the chair Ron had sat in earlier.

"That's from the three surrounding rooms," Ron panted. "What did you guys find?"

Luna and Hermione grinned at each other.

"I found a smoke grenade and a section of rope roughly 10 feet long." The brunette brought her hand up to her face and pretended to glance over her nails with a smirk.

"I found a Snickers! I ate though, so it's not here any more." The bank teller giggled at the pout on Ron's face.

"Wait, wait, wait...a Smoke Grenade?" Harry stared incredulously at the smirking woman.

"It was in the cabinet." Hermione gestured to the metal box behind her. "Luna said that she had brought it last year for a party, and they never used it."

Ron sputtered and Harry chuckled as the brunette and police officer made their way to the pile.

"What kind of party is that?" The redhead questioned as he gaped at the blonde. Luna grinned and tossed the grenade into the air before catching it and answering him.

"It's an interesting party!" The blonde skipped over to sit it the chair and stare at Hermione and Harry as they worked. The brunette grinned as she placed a stapler next to a paperweight. She couldn't stop herself from commenting and stirring up the conversation even more.

"Not that you would know," Harry snorted. "You don't sound like a fun guy at all. I bet you stock groceries at Walmart."

"I'm a star basketball player woman!"

"That would explain why I've never heard of you." The brunette commented as she sat back onto her legs. "I don't do sports."

"Don't do— What kind of a human are you?"

Pain flared through Hermione at the familiar words and she pursed her lips, turning her face away from the redhead and towards the police officer that had brought her to the room they were all holed up in. Her eyes remained downcast and she fidgeted with a bobblehead of a grinning pig.

"Ron," Harry's cold voice pierced through the fog of pain in her mind and the brunette's head whipped up to look at him. "That's enough."

"Geeze, I was just asking a ques—"

A knock on the door interrupted the basketball player. Everyone stilled, eyes fixed on the large metal door.

 _"Hello!? We heard voices! Is anyone being held hostage in there!?"_

Hermione turned her gaze to Harry and began to mouth some words.

 _'Do you know them?'_

Green eyes hardened and their owner grasped a hole-puncher, standing up and walking towards the door. One hand went to the handle while the other was held right next to his head. Luna moved to stand behind Ron and the redhead wrapped a single arm around her waist.

"I'm officer Harry Potter, ID 23378 Section F. Now, identify yourself." His voice was strong as he called out, and Hermione shivered once again. She really needed to figure out why she reacted like that every time he used his 'officer voice'.

 _"Harry!? Oh Thank Heavens! Your Mother would've killed me if you were dead! It's Remus— Huh?— Right! Officer Remus Lupin, ID 68921 Section G."_

At this, Harry let the office supplies fall to the ground and opened the door. A man with shaggy blonde hair rushed in and enveloped his fellow officer in a hug. Hermione smiled at the sight and gingerly stood up, walking over to the two.

"If you're here, does that mean the robbery's been stopped?"

The two men sprung apart blushing, and the older man cleared his throat before nodding. It was a person from out in the hall that answered her question however, and Hermione found herself giggling.

"Yep. A couple tosser's thought that they could get in and out without a hitch, but we were stationed just around the block and were able to get here in less than five minutes. A quick threat of life in jail and they were crying and throwing their weapons down." The owner of the voice stepped through the doorway and the first thought in Hermione's mind was, Pink. The female officer had spiky pink hair that went to her shoulders and a grin a mile wide.

"Tonks, what were you and Remus up to around the block? The only things over there are a couple of fast food places and a spa." Harry questioned, moving to stand next to Hermione. Both adults blushed and Tonks glared at the green-eyed man before sticking her tongue out. Everyone laughed and Hermione felt all of the stress from the day slip from her shoulders.

She was alive, Harry and the others were alive, and they were going to stay that way if they had anything to say about it.

"Hey, you want to go for a coffee later? I figured I should pay you back for leaving that bruise on your arm."

Hermione's gut nudged her once again, and instead of hesitating she nodded her head with a smile.

"Sure, I'd like that." **  
**


	7. The Crossing of Paths

**_This is for round one season five of the QLFC. I am filling as a reserve for the Falcons Chaser Two._**

 ** _NOTP Given: Dudley/Luna_**

 ** _Prompts: N/A_**

 ** _Notes: This is very AU and I'm making use of Author's Interpretation to make Dudley more mature and less violent. There is no magic here, strictly muggles and their muggle ways! XD Enjoy!_**

* * *

It had been seven months since Dudley's girlfriend died in childbirth. The twenty-three year old man had gotten the news at work and was caught in the tube the entire labor. While he was locked away in the dark tunnel, fiddling with a ring and imagining what his baby girl would look like, Diane had been bleeding out from where the placenta had detached from the uterine wall, ripping her uterus at the same time. The doctors focused so much on saving the child's life, that by the time they realized Diane was bleeding out it was too late.

"Sir?"

Dudley was jolted out of his thoughts by the voice of his waiter.

"Yes?"

"Sir, if you are unable to quiet your child then I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to leave. A lot of our customers are complaining about the noise level."

Dudley looked up at the waiter, an apologetic smile on his face. He knew it wasn't the other customers. He was the only one in the cafe at eleven at night. Violet, his daughter, had started teething last night, and the tylenol wasn't working on her at all.

"Of course, I apologize." Dudley stood up, grabbing the baby bag before lifting Violet into his arms again. "She's teething."

And then he was walking through the dark streets, a pink bag in one arm and a crying child in the other.

"Are her teeth coming in?"

The voice that spoke was musical, light, and perfect. Ironically enough, Dudley thought, those three words also describe the voice's owner.

A woman with waist-length blonde hair, a soft smile, gorgeous blue eyes, and porcelain skin was standing before him, head cocked to the side. Corkscrews hung on fishing wire around her neck, each one a different color and a random two or three covered in glitter. She wore a jean dress that fell to her ankles, and pins shaped like hearts, stars, butterflies, and cars were placed sporadically across it. To complete the picture, she had what looked like… radishes hanging from her ears.

"Hello?"

Dudley blinked, his brain slowly coming back online.

"Oh, uhm, yeah."

Why was his throat suddenly dry?

"She started last night actually."

The blonde nodded, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and taking a step forward. Soft eyes kept switching from looking at Dudley, to his daughter, and back to Dudley.

"Have you tried frozen sugar-free honey?" Dudley shook his head, shuffling Violet over to his other arm. "The honey ends up melting while they're teething and soothes their throat, and because it's frozen, it numbs the gums."

"I never thought of that."

"It's what I use on my children."

Dudley winced, his gaze dropping to look at her hand. Confusion swept through him at the lack of a ring. She said kids, and that normally means two or more with a spouse to boot.

" I run a childcare center." The blonde offend a smile, and Dudley felt his face turn red.

"Ah, are you,-" He paused, " Actually, I never got your name, Miss…"

"Lovegood. Luna Lovegood."

Dudley grinned at that, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Dursley. Dudley Dursley."

Luna blinked at that, her mouth twitching. Both adults were able to keep it together, at least, they were until their eyes connected. Dudley was the first to break, a snicker breaking through before a deep laugh filled the air. Luna quickly followed, her airy laugh blending perfectly. Eventually they both calmed down enough to talk once again.

"Well, Miss Lovegood, if you're not too busy then would you agree to show me how to pick the right honey? And then show me how to freeze it?" Dudley was fully prepared for the no and disgust that would follow his questions. Violet was hugged tightly to his chest with both arms.

"I can't today, I'm on my way to get more supplies for the kids, but if you have time tomorrow I could show you."

* * *

Dudley was nervous. Luna was supposed to arrive in five minutes, and Violet was still crying and the house was still a mess. He would clean, and then something would happen that caused an entirely new mess to form.

"Hello?"

A knock sounded on the door, and Dudley felt the blood drain from his face. He quickly laid Violet down in her pack and play before rushing to the door, throwing away a diaper as he passed by the rubbish bin.

"Luna! Hi," Dudley opened the door and stepped aside, waving her in. "Sorry about the mess."

"It's actually clean compared to what the childcare center looks like, less glitter." The blonde smiled brightly. "Where can I put the supplies?"

"Here in the kitchen will do!" Dudley answered, clearing a path through the mess. Ten minutes later and they were set up to begin.

"So how does this work?"

"It's actually very simple," said Luna. "You dip the pacifier in the honey and place it in the freezer and just keep repeating until it's a nice full layer."

"Oh." Dudley blinked, stunned that she had brought so many bags when the only thing needed was a jar of honey and some pacifiers. "Well, thank you for buying the honey."

Luna grinned, turning to look at him as she pulled her hair up into a bun. "I didn't buy it."

Dudley felt his eyes grow wide. "So… you…."

"Oh, Salazar, no! I made it."

Dudley blushed, turning his face away. Of course she hadn't stolen the honey. She was too sweet and nice looking to do anything like that!

"Dudley?" The man turned to look at Luna once more. "I know that it's presumptuous of me to ask, but… could I come over every now and again to help out?"

Oh.

Oh.

"O-of course!" Dudley was ashamed to find himself stuttering. At the same time, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face.

Maybe he would have a chance with her after all.

* * *

 ** _The store Luna is heading for is an all night store that sells fruit :3_**

 ** _This teething trick actually works! It's what my grandparents used on my dad_**.


	8. The Letters of Spinner's End

_**This is for Round 2 of the QLFC season 5!**_

 _ **I was the Reserve for the Bellycastle Bats Beater 2!**_

 ** _Prompts: Spinner's End as the setting, Letter-fic, and the quote by Nathaniel Branden "Freedom is the most radical Idea of all."_**

 ** _I really enjoyed writing this! Severus is one of my favorite characters and I honestly feel that he doesn't get enough credit or love simply because people refuse to look underneath the underneath._**

* * *

Lily,

My mother died this year. I didn't get to tell you after… what happened by the Black Lake. Father has taken to the bottle again, and his skills at bruising in areas no one will ever see has improved over the year. He's locked me in the attic again, no dinner for me. I wonder how you would react if I sent this letter to you. You hate me now, so you probably wouldn't even read it. I've also noticed you and Potter getting closer.

Is he no longer a toe-rag?

Of course not, I was the one reason why you two never got along in the first place after all. I hope that you're happy now. Maybe this is for the best anyways; I couldn't always depend on you to protect me over the summers. Although, it does feel weird, not spending time with you at the park or under our tree.

I wonder if your relationship with Tunney is better as well. I bet you two would've gotten along better if it weren't for me that day we first met.

Do you even miss me?

Were we ever really friends?

I wonder sometimes how things would've been if I had been sorted into Ravenclaw instead. Would you have visited me after her funeral? Would you help me bat away the shadows that eat at the edges of my vision or apply bruise paste to my battle wounds?

Battle wounds.

I almost sound like one of those heroes in those books you're always reading. Heh. Severus Snape, the Batman of the wizarding world. I'm the exact opposite of that. My father and you have told me so often enough lately. The coward and weakling. Unable to stand up to my father, unable to stand up to my house, and unable to stand up to my brain.

No wonder we're no longer friends.

Always yours,

Sev

* * *

 _Severus sighed and crumpled the parchment in his hand, tossing it into the corner with the others. The sun would be up soon, and with it his Father. He had to be stronger now. No more emotions, and no more weakness._

 _Severus had to survive._

* * *

Mother,

You don't have to worry about me anymore. Spinner's End is no longer going to be a place of hate and pain. You always told me that one day I would build a better life for myself, a life that would end with my happiness. I've built a life for myself, and I'm happy - in a way.

Father's dead now.

I killed him.

I know you loved him, even when he was beating you or shoving us into the attic to try and "contain the filth". I don't think I ever loved him though. After you left us, he got worse. I don't think that I'll ever be able to forget that man, my mind and my body would always bring up reminders.

Do you remember that book you used to read to me whenever Father was out drinking? The one filled with quotes from people around the world?

"Freedom is the most radical idea of all."

Nathaniel Branden, I believe his name was. Freedom is no longer an idea for me, Mother, it is a reality.

It wasn't a slow death, he felt very little pain. I know that you would've wanted it to be quick. The Dark Lord said that I had to kill one person with my bare hands in order to take his mark, in order to receive his protection.

I used your potions knife.

Do you think that symbolic? Using the weapon that killed you to end his life as well?

The Dark Lord found it amusing, and now I will never fear harm from him again.

No more fists, bottles, or attics. No more night time cuddles to hide from the angry beast.

We can live freely now.

Your Beloved Son,

Severus Tobias Snape

* * *

 _A glass of firewhiskey sat half-empty on the table next to his chair. A pale hand reached out to grasp at the bottle, missing its target and knocking it onto the rug instead. Severus let some curses lose into the empty air, staring at the amber liquid soaking into his socks._

* * *

Lily,

I told myself after fifth year that I would never write to you again. Over the past few years I've held true to that vow, but once again, I must break my promise.

You're dead.

Murdered.

Gone.

I always thought that I would be the one to leave this realm before you, and yet once again I find myself left gaping as you race away. Your passing has led my to sit by the fire of Spinner's End, firewhiskey slowly replacing what little water remains in my body.

Did you know that you defeated the Dark Lord? Were you aware that your love and kindness was enough to cause one of the most powerful wizards to fall to his knees?

Dumbledore tells me that your sacrifice was wasted; the Dark Lord will return after he has gathered power. He will go after your son, the boy you died to protect.

I know that you hate me Lily, I think that there was no other way for our lives to turn out. Ourfriendship killed you. My love for you pushed you quickly to the brink of death.

I promise you, on my life, on the grave of my mother, on our tree, that your son will not suffer your fate.

He will hate me from the beginning, and I will stay the evil mastermind in the background - pulling the strings of Fate so that he may live longer than the both of us combined.

You will never get this letter, and the connection between us will never be discovered. Everything I have of you in the material realm is sitting next to me, awaiting its turn to be devoured by flames.

Do you think that the flames could eat away my memories as well?

Goodbye,

Professor Severus Snape

* * *

 _Black clad shoulders hunched over, shaking, in the light of the fireplace_.


	9. Death Wears Raddish Earrings

**_Team: Wigtown Wanderers_**

 _ **Position: Chaser 2 (Cat.1 Reserve)**_

 ** _Position Prompt:Write about a truth that was accidentally revealed OR a Dare that was accidentally given/carried out._**

 ** _Betas: Aelys Althea; RawMateriel_**

 ** _Optional prompts:_**

 ** _1\. (word) fair_**

 ** _3\. (dialogue) "You don't have a choice. It's do or die."_**

 ** _5\. (word) difference_**

* * *

i.

Fires burned, casting large shadows as the screams of burning people rang into the night. A figure cloaked in white appeared on the main street of Godric's Hollow. A comforting warmth radiated from the new arrival which was entirely different to the searing heat which consumed the surrounding homes. The scene was chaos, and yet the apparition moved forward unaffected. Cries of mercy and pleas for death formed a melody, a siren song which drew the form forth. The figure strode towards the crumbling building located at the center of the street, rubble and smoke obscuring much of it from view. As the figure passed a wriggling, burning mass, a pale hand reached out to caress scorched bone. The mass immediately stilled and, in the void, cries of joy and relief filled the air.

" ** _Go in peace, this suffering will be your last before you pass to a realm without pain._** " The words echoed upon themselves, power lingering in every syllable. One by one the screams of pain faded, each voice growing lighter as tiny balls of light lifted into the sky.

"What are you doing here, Death?" A new figure appeared, pulling itself from the flames, a dress of blue flame settled like fog over its flesh. Threads of all color pushed and pulled themselves from thin hands, fighting over who should be played with next.

"I could ask the same of you, Fate." In the light of the flames, blonde hair shone, blue eyes staring deep into those of its companion.

"A boy claiming to be all-powerful will create his destroyer tonight, and I must place my mark on the would-be warrior." Humor and disgust wove themselves gracefully together as the two figures conversed.

"I called a soul from this place, and he dared not to answer. If you must know I have come to meet his challenge. He believes that he can outrun me. I would think that you would be here to pluck at the same man's strings considering he is trying to hide from you as well."

"Oh no, I haven't been this entertained since the incident three millennia ago when that man tried to kill his own son, only to die and have the boy marry his own mother."

"I wonder what led the boy back to his father after being banished so far from home." Death tapped her chin, and shrugged. "Perhaps it was Fate." She raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"Bah, trivialities." The two exchanged grins, caught in the familiarity of banter that had lasted an eternity.

" _Not Harry!_ "

Fate and Death exchanged one more glance before turning and entering the house.

" _Lily! Harry! Run!"_

In the foyer, a man with black hair and a broken body hovered in the air. His form flickered and then his screams echoed once more.

"I hate that they had to pass so young." Death's voice was soft as she reached out a hand. Trembling fingers brushed through messy locks before withdrawing. "I hate that we were made to punish them so harshly for the mistakes of an earlier generation."

Fate sighed. "You care too deeply, sister. They are simply pawns that Time has created for us."

They stood in silence, both watching as the spectre floated up the stairs in peace - the half of a soul seeking its other piece.

" _Not Harry, please_!"

Fate closed her eyes, leaning against the wall as her sister followed the ghost.

"Death has always cared too much for her children."

ii.

Death stood on the doorway of a nursery, eyes fixed on the scene in the back of the room. Toys and furniture lay broken and scattered about - remnants of a happy past. A woman lay still in the back corner, hand outstretched to the crib. And there, in front of the crib, hovered two spectres, the man from downstairs and a woman with vibrant green eyes and red hair. They were crying as they looked down at the sleeping child within.

" ** _You have given your lives to protect your son_**." Death strode forward, embracing the fragmented soul. " ** _Go in peace knowing that you will be able to watch him grow old_**."

A soft light flooded the room, disappearing as quickly as it came and taking the soul with it. Death smiled sadly before turning and looking down at the child. Her sister moved from the vacuum of space and joined her in observing the boy who lived.

"He already bears your mark." A ripple passed over the fabric of Fate's skin. "For this child? Are you sure?"

"That runaway," Death attempted to explain. "He called me here to take him and then dared to refuse me. Now this child is caught in the struggle between us."

"I knew that you would need me to be here as witness, but I was sure you would change your mind." Fate's voice was quiet, resigned in the knowledge that she was about to lose her sister for the next few of decades or so. "Time knows why I thought that, you're so stubborn."

"You will still be able to visit me. The only difference will be that I'll have a mortal skin." Death smiled softly before turning and picking up the sleeping child. Silent whimpers escaped the babe, tiny fists coming up to bat away at demons unknown. Death leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"That doesn't mean that I won't miss you."

The whimpers died and fingers uncurled as the boy nuzzled closer to Death. The blonde woman gently laid the boy into his crib before moving back into the center of the room. Fate silently left, disappearing in a flash of flame and leaving only ashes in her place.

" ** _I will live in the land of mortals, shedding my spiritual skin in order to protect the life in this room and take back the soul that has dared to challenge Deaths natural order_**."

A dark light filled the room, twisting and turning over itself as it enveloped the two figures. Wind began to rumble through the enclosed space, fingers grasping at anything light enough to journey with it.

"Lily! Lily!"

The door slammed open, revealing a deathly silent room in shambles, and the man clad in black began to cry.

iii.

Luna grimaced at the pain radiating from her bruised jaw. Ginny was on her left, limping as she shot hex after curse into the cloud of black that chased them.

"Where's Harry?!"

"I don't know!"

The two girls made their way into another room, wands sweeping for enemies. Luna had just enough time to glimpse Harry and Sirius fighting with Lucius and Bellatrix before everything froze.

" _You have a choice to make, old friend_." Golden sand poured into the room, swirling about the motionless figures before clumping together in front of Luna. Flames engulfed the column of sand, and when they died out, two figures stood in front of her.

"Fate, Time, it's wonderful to see you again." Luna stepped away from the frozen form of Ginny, straightening her spine and meeting black eyes with a soft smile. Her temporary mortal heart was nearly overwhelmed at the sight of her estranged family.

" _The man before you, Sirius Black, is not scheduled to die this day. If you stay in this mortal skin any longer then you will not be able to return to our realm. You will become mortal forever. Save his life, sacrifice your mortal skin, and I will reverse time. Tom Riddle will never make his horcruxes and the world will live in peace_."

Luna smiled, shaking her head fondly. Her gaze travelled around the room, resting on the four people she'd grown closest to.

" _You have no choice_ ," Fate spoke now, stepping forward and waving a hand in her direction. " _It's do or die. We are not meant to die; come home_."

"No."

Fate's face and outstretched hand fell. Time uttered a growl and wrapped a golden limb around her no-longer sister. A snap, and suddenly time was flowing forward once again. Immediately, Luna fired a Summoning spell at Bellatrix Lestrange's boots, throwing off her aim and allowing Neville to football tackle the woman.

"Luna! Hermione and Ron are down!" Harry was shouting the words as he ducked and weaved between colors, face grim. "You and Ginny go watch over them!"

"Let's go."

v.

Luna was in the Hospital Wing. In the beds around her, those she'd grown to love more than her own life lay sleeping. It was amusing that her family had come to her so worried, it was clear that despite how they loved her, they still feared Death.

"Luna?" Hermione's voice was weak, and Luna dashed to her bedside.

"Are there Nargles running around in your head again, Hermione?"

"You're going to die." Hermione's words were whimpered, pain lacing each syllable as a shaking hand reached out to stroke a pale cheek. "For us, you're willing to die."

"You saw them."

Hermione nodded, sniffing. "I don't know how, and I know I wasn't supposed to, but I did."

Luna smiled gently, running her hand through Hermione's brown curls. The smaller girl climbed up onto the bed, hugging the injured bookworm to her chest.

"All of you are my children, and all of you are my friends, my family. Of course I would die for you, I have nothing to fear but myself after all." She wasn't speaking as Luna then. Instead, she was the voice of a being long revered and long gone.

Hermione laughed a little at this, but there were tears in her eyes.

The two girls fell asleep that way, clutching at each other through their dreams. Neither of them would remember their conversation when they awoke.

The challenge she had come to meet in this life would have to be met with the powers of just a girl.

Just a girl and her friends.


	10. Sufferings of Love

**Round Five:** _Pansy (as inspired by Pansy Parkinson): Write about a character loving another character despite being mistreated or ignored by them.  
_

 **Position** : _Chaser Three_

 **Team** : _Chudley Cannons *waves orange flag*_

 ** _This is going to be an AU so that I can put a character who dies with a character who was born a year before his death. :3 Enjoy!_**

 **Prompts** : _2 (object) thorn, 8 (word) difference, 11 (poem) 'Flower of Love' by Oscar Wilde_

 **Word Count without AN** : _1,460 words on Google Docs_

 **Beta'd by** : _The Kawii Neko, Emiliya Wolfe, isaaicswolfsbane, Angelo Della Magnolia, and coleytaylor_

* * *

 _Yet I am not sorry that I loved you -ah! what else had I a [human] to do? -_

 _For the hungry teeth of time devour, and the silent-footed years pursue._

 _Rudderless, we drift athwart a tempest, and when once the storm of youth is_

 _past,_

 _Without lyre, without lute or chorus, Death the silent pilot comes at last._

 _And within the grave there is no pleasure, for the blindworm battens on the root,_

 _And Desire shudders into ashes, and the tree of Passion bears no fruit._

 _I have made my choice, have lived my poems, and, though youth is gone in_

 _wasted days,_

 _I have found the lover's crown of myrtle better than the poet's crown of bays._

* * *

 _i._

Abraxas was not an idiot. He knew that there was a difference between love and lust. He knew that Tom didn't love him.

He knew that, and yet it didn't stop him from loving the man anyway. Maybe that was unhealthy, or maybe Abraxas just didn't care.

"Are you getting out of the shower anytime soon?" Tom's voice echoed through the bathroom and Abraxas grinned into the steam.

"I don't know, are you ever going to join me in the shower?" Abraxas let the silence slide off just as his shampoo was doing. "I've already seen you naked, and we're married.

The only answer was the slam of the cabinet door.

This friends with benefits thing had been going on for years now. It started when they were in high school and discovering the joys of sex. Ten years later, they were sharing a one bed, one bathroom flat on the south side of Baker Street in London, and married. (Taxes and University payments were both easier this way.) Tom had a job at the records office and Abraxas was working as a bartender in a club two blocks away.

"Abraxas, I have to be at work in thirty minutes. I don't have time to baby your fragile ego. Either get out of the shower or I'm turning off the hot water."

Abraxas sighed and turned the water off, sliding the door open and stepping out into the cold air with a shiver. He pouted in Tom's direction only to grin when a pale hand reached out to smack his bum.

He was happy with the way things were.

 _ii._

Abraxas was exhausted. It had been open mic night at the pub and more than one rowdy customer had tried to fondle his bits. Needless to say, he was ready to sleep next to the warm body of one Tom 'Marvelous' Riddle.

There was one good thing about working in a pub — free alcohol. Tom had a taste for whiskey and they had received a nice bottle last week. No one had wanted to drink out of it, so Abraxas had commandeered it for Tom. Maybe they could sit on the couch and talk politics again? Tom always enjoyed it when Abraxas kept up with what was happening in the world. And if he was lucky, Tom would let him cuddle on the couch with h—

 **Thump.**

Abraxas froze in front of the door as the thud sounded again. Had someone broken in? Was Tom in trouble? The door was unlocked, and Abraxas quickly stumbled in, bag falling to the floor as he prepared to bludgeon a robber over the head.

 _"Oh, Tom!"_

He froze in place as the moan registered in his head. Another thud sounded and Abraxas turned around and walked right back through the door, not bothering to lock it. The bottle of whiskey and his work bag were both left on the floor — he wouldn't be needing them tonight anyway. He bypassed the elevator and made his way down the stairs. Doors passed by in a blur and then he was in a cab heading for anywhere but here.

He knew that there was a difference between love and lust, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when the fact was shoved in his face either.

 _iii._

Draco, his younger cousin, let him stay the night on his couch. Granted it wasn't comfortable, but it was better than the alternative.

"I don't know why you still go back to that man." Draco was perched on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, sipping from his cup of tea with a raised brow. "All he does is cause you pain."

Abraxas said nothing in response, turning to look at the ceiling. Draco wouldn't understand it. No one would ever understand it except for Tom.

"Leave a message with my secretary if you plan to spend another night pining away on my sofa," Draco drawled as he made his way to the door. "If not, then I'll see you the next time that _caring_ husband of yours brings home one of his… friends."

In the silence of the flat, it was easy to pretend that his tears were only imaginary.

 _iv_.

Eventually he would have to make his way home, face the stained, rumpled sheets and abandoned bottle, but for now, Abraxas was content to shop. It was a habit he had picked up from his mother — shopping when under duress — and it was a habit he never planned on breaking. There was something so beautiful about heading into a shop and wandering around aimlessly. No expectation to buy anything, meaningless chatter in the background, subtle smells here and there; all of it was peaceful.

"Free rose?" An old lady with a wooden cane was calling out to the people passing by. "It comes free with the purchase of any other flower!"

Abraxas thought about it for a moment. Flowers would help get rid of the smell, and their kitchen could use some color. He eyed the collection of flowers. It couldn't be just any group of flowers though. No, they had to look great and mean something. He knew what flowers he wanted; now he just had to find them. Abraxas sighed and stepped forward, fingers drifting softly across petals.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, dear?" It was the old woman again.

Abraxas didn't even spare her a glance, just rattled off the list of flowers he had in mind. "Chrysanthemums, gerbera daisies, tulips, and gladiolus. Not large and extravagant, but small and portable without losing meaning."

"Well, you know exactly what you want," the woman chuckled. She stood up, heading for a group of multi-colored flowers. "Lucky for you I have a pick-and-choose arrangement order. Have a look at some of the roses while I get it ready for you."

Within seconds, the woman's hands were a blur of movement as she worked to put together his arrangement. Abraxas stood where he was, fingers trailing through the roses as he called out colors and ideas as they popped into his head. It was only when a flash of pain ran up his arm that Abraxas realized his hand had been drifting lower into the collection of roses. He had pricked himself on one of the thorns.

"How amusing," he mummered, bringing his hand up to stare at the small bead of blood on his finger. "Even the flower of love rejects me."

 _v._

It was two hours later that Abraxas made his way home, arms laden with bags from his shopping spree. (The woman had to go back to her warehouse to find some white and purple tulips, so she not only gave him a discount, but she also let him finish his shopping while he waited.) Luckily the door was still unlocked from where he had left it last night, so he didn't have to worry about fighting with the keys as well. Tom was gone, evidenced by the missing coat and shoes in the hallway. Abraxas didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

He made his way to the kitchen, dropping the bags unceremoniously to the floor. On the counter sat a glass vase; withered flowers hung limply over the edges, dead leaves straining to touch the countertops. Those were quickly binned and Abraxas filled the base with new water before plunking the new flowers in. Once that was taken care of, he made his way through the bags on the floor. New sheets, new pillows, a new duvet cover, apple cinnamon Febreze and butter rum ice cream were laid out on the counter.

"And now to get rid of the trash," Abraxas mumbled the words under his breath as he grabbed a trash bag.

It was easy enough to strip the bed and bag everything; it was even easier to replace the sheets, duvet and pillows. By the time Tom walked in the door after work, everything was in place and Abraxas was sitting at the counter eating the last couple bites of his dessert.

"How was work?"

"It was as it always is, Abraxas. Anything interesting from your shopping trip?"

Abraxas motioned towards the bottle of whiskey on the counter. They didn't speak after that except to say goodnight.

Abraxas was content, happy, ecstatic that Tom was his again. They spent the next week as they normally did, working, talking, and playing — just the two of them.

And when Abraxas came home a couple days later to the moans of another woman in the throes of passion with his husband, he simply sighed and walked out the door.

Draco ended up making him a permanent bed in one of his guest rooms two weeks later.

* * *

 _Chrysanthemum: friendship, love, and joy. The roots can be boiled for pain relief_

 _Gerbera Daisies: beauty and innocence._

 _Gladioluses: Strength, Honor, and infatuation._

 _Tulips: Perfect Love. Purple and white tulips mean royalty. Yellow tulips mean lost love. White Tulips mean forgiveness._


	11. The Matrix Mission: 6

_**Round Six - Cannons Chaser Three: The Matrix**_

 _ **Optional Prompts**_

 _ **(Object) Mirror**_

 _ **(Word) visitor**_

 _ **(Word) incident**_

 _ **Beta'd by: isaacswolfsbane, The Kawii Neko**_

 _ **Word Count without AN: 2,754**_

* * *

"Theo, we have a visitor." The man looked up from where he had been crouched over the crumpled, bleeding body on the floor. Blaise was standing in the doorway, nose scrunched as the smell made its way to him.

"Oh?" Blaise nodded and held out a small white cloth. Theo grinned, accepting the outstretched handkerchief and wiping the blood off of his fingers. "Who is it?"

"Hermione Granger from the Order is standing outside our doors. It seems she wants to take a dive in one of our Pensieves."

"Excellent. Kingsley here appears to have had an incident with my knife collection. Do clean it up, won't you?"

* * *

 _Welcome to the Matrix._

 _Inside, all of your wildest dreams and fantasies will come to life._

 _Inside, you can be anyone you want to be._

Hermione scoffed at the words monogrammed onto the surface of the large mirror-like window. She had heard about this place—a place where books come to life and you get to live out the lives of your favorite characters. It sounded too good to be true.

And it was.

"Why am I here again?" Hermione turned her head to glance over her shoulder and muttered into the small microphone embedded in her shirt collar. She drew her lower lip into her mouth and looked back up at the door, playing the part of a nervous first-timer.

"Because all of our other informants have disappeared and you drew the small straw?" Harry's voice crackled through her earpiece, and it was only the saving grace of twenty years of acting lessons that stopped her grin from showing on her face.

Hermione took a deep breath and entered the building.

She could totally do this.

* * *

 _Tom Riddle is the founder of the Matrix. His company, The DeathEaterz, is a technology company that focuses on gaming. Three years ago, they created what's known as The Pensieve. A device that allows the user to play the game as if they were a character in the game. Malfoy Industries, a high-rate research facility, had partnered with the company in order to mass produce and build multiple places around the world known as The Matrix._

* * *

She could not do this.

Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, smaller bookcases filled to bursting were sprinkled here and there across the many lounges. In the back corner, a small display showed a snacks, coffee and tea menu for those who wanted to stay but were thirsty or hungry. The lighting was neither harsh enough to make you squint nor soft enough to make you grow gradually blind.

It was perfect.

Fuck, it was perfect.

"Welcome to the Matrix, Madam. What can I do for you today?" a soft voice spoke from her right, and when Hermione turned, she had to physically beat back her rising blush. The man was almost as beautiful as the collection of books surrounding her. Dark brown eyes sparkled under the soft lighting and black hair fell gently across a smooth forehead. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, but not an obnoxious bleached white. (This appealed to her dentistry-ish side. Her parents would definitely approve.)

"I—" Hermione cleared her throat. "I don't really know actually. I've never done anything like this."

"Are you playing innocent here, 'Mione?" Ron's voice echoed into her ear this time and Hermione felt her teeth scrape against each other. Her ex might be smart, but he was extremely annoying at times.

"That's perfect." The man casually stretched his arm out to drape it across her shoulders and began to lead her to the shelves near the back. "What is your favorite genre?"

* * *

 _The Pensieve is a device that goes over your head before sealing around your neck. Once the seal is complete, the helmet-like device then begins to fill up with liquid. No one knows what exactly this liquid is made up of, but it allows the user to breathe normally and without fear of drowning. Once the device is filled to the top, the wearer would then 'fall' into the pre-programmed realm. This is known as immersion._

* * *

"Happy endings."

Theo almost tripped over his feet at the woman's response. He had known the second she stood in front of his door that she had been sent to infiltrate, the information coaxed out of Kingsley had told him as much. In fact, she was high up in the rankings of this mysterious 'Order' Lucius has brought to his attention.

"That's not exactly a genre, Miss…."

"Granger. And it is a sub-genre in the internet world." The chit actually turned her nose up at him! At least she used her real name, although he was surprised she hadn't given him a first name. Most customers did, unless they were raised like Blaise, Draco, or himself. From what he had gathered from her comrades, she was middle-class at best. "I don't really care what else happens in the story, except that the main character gets to have a happy ending for themselves."

"What an interesting choice of words; is there to be no happy ending for the rest of the characters?"

"There is no need for it. What fun is living when there is no destruction to survive? What fun is loving if there is no hate to overcome? No, I much prefer my side of fluff with a main course of angst."

* * *

 _Once a person is fully immersed, they have no awareness of the outside world. All of their focus is on the story they've just dived into; be it a video game, a movie, a play, a book, or even a tv series! All actions done to the character they've chosen to live as will be replayed back onto the diver._

 _Replay: The brain will reflect the brain of the character. For example, if the character gets a papercut, then the nerves in the finger will send pain signals even if there is no physical cut in the real world._

* * *

Hermione casually scanned the bookshelves as they continued towards the shelf at the very back. So far, there had been no signs of her co-workers' presence, and that was worrying. Severus and Kingsley had been on assignment for the past six months. They had only missed their last check in three days ago. It made no sense for there to be nothing to guide her in the right direction.

"Very well," the man gently pulled her to a stop before gesturing towards the bookshelf in front of them. "This shelf contains most of our 'Happy endings' genre. Look through the books until you find one of your liking, feel free to take your time. Once you've found your book, come find me and I'll help you with your first dive."

Hermione nodded slowly as the attractive man scurried away in the direction of the back door. The man had left so abruptly and she hadn't received any information. She hadn't even gotten his name!

Damn.

That meant she would have to keep coming back.

* * *

 _Diving is a term coined from the word diverse. Due to the number of genres that a diver was allowed to choose from, Tom Riddle began to refer to the jump between fantasy and reality as 'diving'._

 _Once you are immersed, you are able to do many things. A) Follow the storyline and enjoy the story as it was written. B) Choose a background storyline and watch the story unfold from the sidelines. C) Follow the storyline and change things slightly as you go. D) Don't follow the storyline and see what happens. Most people will choose option A, and only a few will choose options B or C. Only one person has ever chosen option D._

 _Albus Dumbledore was a seventy-five-year-old man dying from pancreatic cancer. He volunteered to be the first person to test the theory of plot-divergence. The story chosen, Daniel Radcliffe and the Philosopher's Stone, lead to his death. Now all experiments with option D are restricted to children stories._

* * *

Hermione had been diving with the Matrix for the last two months, and she had yet to uncover anything. Harry and Ron were slowly going mad as they waited for intel.

"Hermione, all you've been doing so far is hopping back and forth between the world of Shakespeare and flirting with Theo. We need more information!" Ron waved his hands about as he ranted, Harry shaking his head on the screen next to him.

"I hate to say this, but I agree. I think you're getting distracted. Do you want me to come down and help out?" Harry paused, eyeing the screen for a moment before continuing. "Is it Severus? I know you're worried about him, but it's been three months, Hermione. I don't think he's coming back."

"No," Hermione shook her head and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm almost in. Give me another month and then you can come in. Although, I don't think that will be necessary."

"Fine, but you have until the end of this month. That's all we can give you."

The screen went black, and Hermione leaned forward, burying her face in her hands.

Two weeks.

She could totally find their two missing teammates and shut down the Matrix in two weeks.

Totally.

* * *

Theo stared at Hermione.

"You want to what?"

"I want to try option D using Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream."

She was crazy! The woman was going to get herself killed, all to try and infiltrate his company. Then again, if she did this herself, he could get rid of one-third of the Order's chain of command right here, right now.

"When we talked the other day, you said all of your test subjects have been white males ages thirty to eighty." Hermione stood up and began to pace back and forth, her hands weaving through the air. "That's a large limitation! We've proven that the brain works differently for both genders and age. No one's even tested to see if there's a difference between race! So why are you limiting yourself to only one range? I will sign whatever you need me to sign, but this is an experience I simply can not pass up!"

Theo sat back in his chair, drawing his ankle up onto his knee as he regarded the pacing woman. Hermione had a point. Blaise had been adamant about not including women as test subjects due to their minds being too emotional. He was beginning to see how wrong this was.

Hermione was pointing out how wrong this was.

"I will even give up my place in the Order."

* * *

 _The Order is a government owned organisation that investigates rival companies. Their methods are questionable at best, most crossing the line to illegal, and all companies deemed unworthy are destroyed. Harry and Ron are the heads of the organisation, both men taking over when Albus Dumbledore died in the Pensieve experiment. Hermione and Ginny are the next in line to lead if anything should happen to the current leaders._

* * *

Hermione smiled as she her opened eyes. She had betrayed the Order three months ago, and it was the best decision she had ever made. She no longer listened to Harry and Ron chatting about which football team was the best while she went on dangerous missions. Yes, she would miss her boys, but Theo and her new life were worth it.

"What are you going to do about Severus, Theo?" Blaise's voice echoed through the open door from the living room. "He's been in our care for almost seven months now and we still have yet to break the man."

Hermione froze. Severus was here? Her fiancé was alive? But Theo had told her he and Kingsley had escaped a week after capture. She had been led to believe the two men had run off together.

"Throw him in the isolation chamber. Since he doesn't want to speak, I'll have to give him a worthy send off. Hermione will tell me all I need to know as long as I keep up this charade."

Footsteps grew louder and Hermione quickly shut her eyes, growing limp and allowing her mouth to fall open slightly. The other side of the bed dipped, and then a warm arm was wrapping itself around her waist.

"Sleep well, my queen."

* * *

" _Severus, let someone else go in your place." Hermione was begging this time. Her fingers grasped at the woolen coat, twisting into the fabric as if she could screw him in place. "Theo is dangerous! Kingsley has already been taken; I don't want to lose you either!"_

 _"Hermione, I don't have a choice. Orders are orders, and if not me, then they'll send you." Thin fingers trailed lightly across her wet cheek before a pair of dry lips pressed softly against her forehead._

 _"I'll return to you, my heart."_

 _Severus walked out the door and was declared MIA five days later._

* * *

Theo stared in silence at the man before him. Stringy black hair dangled limply across pale skin, specks of red littered here and there. Severus Snape was a tough man to crack. He had stayed quiet throughout all of their… chats. No screaming, no pleading, no information, nothing. And Theo knew exactly what to do now that he had a certain curly-haired lady warming his bed.

"It's a shame that you decided to stay silent." Theo stepped closer, casually rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he continued speaking. "I've had to go a different route in gaining my information. It's surprisingly pleasant; all I have to do is spout a few romantic phrases and Hermione is screaming everything I need to know in the throes of passion."

Severus' head snapped up, dark eyes glaring at the figure stalking closer. Theo grinned, coming to a stop directly in front of the man. He reached his hand up and undid the top three buttons of his shirt, pulling the collar to the side to expose the bruises littering his neck.

"She's a feisty lover. I'll be a little disappointed to see her go soon."

"Don't you fucking touch her." Theo chuckled at the rasped words. Once, they would've frightened him, but he had seen Severus covered in his own bodily fluids. He had seen the man flinch at the sight of his knives. There was nothing frightening about that.

"Oh, I already have. She rather enjoyed it too; I still have the marks on my back to prove it." Severus was no longer looking at him, instead; his eyes were focused over his shoulder, unwavering. "What, nothing to say anymore?"

Theo tsked, shaking his head before sighing.

"Pity."

* * *

" _Hermione are you sure you want to do this?" Harry frowned at her. The two were sitting in a small café, in the back corner by the restrooms._

 _"He killed my Severus, Harry. I'm going to destroy him." Hermione's grip tightened around her mug. "If I have to sacrifice my happiness to do so, so be it."_

 _"Ron won't be happy about it."_

 _"Not to sound rude, but I don't really care what Ronald thinks right now."_

 _"Alright," Harry sighed before draining the last of his latte. "I'll start gathering the false information for you to leak to Nott."_

* * *

Hermione stepped lightly over Blaise's body. The man had thought that he could have his way with her while Theo was gone, and now he was dead. Before he died, however, Hermione had been able to retrieve the location of Severus.

Ten minutes later she was standing outside of a small door, hands clutching her favored Glock. Ginny had taught her how to shoot, and Hermione had quickly earned the nickname Sniper. It was time for her to stop hiding.

She slowly opened the door, grateful for Theo's need of modern technology. Severus was strapped to an upright table, wounds littering his thin body. Theo stood in front of him, talking away. Her eyes quickly locked with Severus' and she held a finger up to her mouth. They could have their reunion later.

"What, nothing to say anymore?"

Hermione crept up behind Theo silently, raising her weapon up above her head.

"Pity."

She quickly brought her gun down, pistol whipping the back of Theo's head. Theo dropped, splaying across the floor.

"Sorry I'm late, Love." Hermione grinned. "You would not believe the things I had to do to find you."

* * *

 ** _Now, I know some of you are going to point out Severus being a little OOC here, so i thought that I should explain the "my heart" part. I have this headcannon that Severus Snape is a closet romantic._**

 ** _That's it._**

 ** _That's my explanation! XD_**

 ** _Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your 24 hour day!_**


	12. The Gift of a Microwave

**_CHASER 3: Write about a witch or wizard attempting to smuggle (one or more) Muggle technology into Hogwarts._**

 ** _(Word) Motor_**

 ** _(Object) Microwave_**

 ** _(Word) Confusion_**

 ** _Beta'd by: isaacswolfsbane_**

 ** _Word Count without A/N: 1,092_**

* * *

 _i._

Severus didn't really know what was happening. Lily had called him over to help her pack for their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and when he arrived, the young girl was struggling to shut her suitcase.

Her suitcase that held only a microwave.

"Lily? Why are you only taking a microwave with you?"

The redhead in question froze, half dangling off the suitcase, and turned to look at him with an innocent smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sev. We were clearly told to not bring any Muggle artefacts into Hogwarts. What you're seeing is me trying to fit my caldron into my suitcase."

Severus sighed heavily and slowly lifted a hand to cradle his face. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Lily, why didn't you just put it in your trunk? We got the large ones with shrinking storage spells specifically because I knew you'd pack more than was necessary."

Lily gaped at him before slowly turning beet red. She stuck her tongue out at him and hopped off the bed.

"Fine, then." She was silent for a moment and then turned to look up at him shyly. "Will you at least help me unpack the suitcases and re pack it all into the trunk?"

Severus always had a hard time saying no when she turned those puppy-dog eyes on him. He scowled, rolling his own eyes before striding over.

It was ten minutes later that Petunia walked in on them sitting on top of a half closed trunk.

"I thought you said this thing had shrinking and storage charms?!" Lily shrieked as the lid gave a slight push against them. Both preteens flopped down extremely hard, grunting at the impact.

"It does! You just have too much stuff to fit in the trunk even with the charms!" Severus snapped back, stretching a hand out to grasp the frame of the bed. Petunia was standing there, stunned in her confusion, mouth dropped wide open.

"Petunia?" It was their father. "Why are you standing in Lily's doorwa— Oh my god!"

Lily and Severus' heads snapped up to look at the man standing in the doorway. Both children began to flush and moved to explain what exactly was happening when the trunk finally popped open.

 _ii._

Severus paused once again in Lily's doorway. The redhead was staring at her trunk, confusion written plainly on her face.

"...Lily?"

His best friend jolted where she was before turning around and grinning widely at him.

"Sev! Look who's here! My bestest friend, the future master of potions, the best Slytherin around—"

"What are you trying to bribe me to do?" Severus deadpanned, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. Lily pouted, throwing herself back on her bed.

"I hate when you do that." Her head popped back up. "But I need you to put all of my books, my caldron, and half of my clothes in your trunk."

Severus blinked, staring at her closed trunk.

"Lil— Is that microwave in your trunk again?!" He hissed, dashing over to the bed and moving to open the lock.

"No!" Lily tackled him, knocking him onto the floor with a squeal. Severus squirmed, flailing his limbs as he tried to get back out from under the Gryffindor.

"Why are you like this?!"

 _iii._

"Are you going to try and sneak the microwave in again this year?"

Severus and Lily were laying down in the backyard, staring up at the stars.

"I want to try," Lily sighed. "The toe-rag thinks I can't do it. He doesn't even know what a microwave is!"

"You could bring in one of those portable hand-held can openers and call it a microwave." Severus snickered. "The idiot wouldn't know the difference."

Lily laughed, reaching out a hand to tangle her fingers with Severus. "What if we end up going over it in Muggle Studies later on? He'd find out then. I just want to prove him wrong."

Severus sighed. "Fine. I'll help you."

Lily cheered, letting go of his hand and running inside.

"Come on, Sev!"

 _iv._

"Lily? Why are you crying?"

Severus had been walking through the stacks at the library when he stumbled upon his sniffling best friend.

"W-we were able t-to sneak the microwave in, bu-ut Potter doesn't think i-it's real!" She sobbed out, hands waving as she explained.

"What? Why?! It looks exactly like the pictures in the instruction manual we packed!" Severus sat down, wrapping an arm around Lily's shaking shoulders.

"The motor isn't working on it."

"The motor?" Severus asked. "Wait, because the microwave isn't working due to the wards around Hogwarts, that bastard is saying you didn't actually sneak the microwave in?!"

"Yeah," Lily nodded.

"I swear to you, Lily Evans, by the time we graduate, James 'Asshat' Potter will have seen a working microwave. Even if it kills me."

 _v._

Severus stared at the machine on his bed. The microwave was staring at him, taunting him with his promise — a promise he wasn't sure if he should keep.

"Severus, what is that contraption lying against your pillow?" Lucius was eyeing the microwave, lips pulled into a sneer as he fingered his wand.

"It's a microwave. Muggles use it to heat food and drinks when they're cold." Severus waved his wand and the device shrunk itself before disappearing into a pocket in his trousers.

"Really? How interesting. And why is it on your bed?" Lucius quickly moved over to the bed, sitting down and crossing his legs.

"Lily."

"Ah."

"I made her a promise our fourth year. I intend to keep it."

"Even if she hates you?"

Severus flinched at his friend's words before nodding.

"A Slytherin keeps all promises."

 _vi._

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung shut behind Lily and Marlene as they exited the common room. As they turned the corner at the end of the corridor, Lily paused. There was a large object in the middle of the floor.

"What is that?" Marlene asked, pulling out her wand and turning to scan the hallway. "Is it a prank from the snakes?"

"You hang out with Sirius too much, Marlene." Lily walked closer, before slowing to a stop. "It's a microwave."

A pang went through her chest as she bent down to look at it. There was a small piece of paper on top.

 _Lily,_

 _I understand that we may no longer be friends, but I made you a promise. One I intend to keep. I've charmed it to work here at Hogwarts— go show that toe-rag you were right all along._


	13. A picture's Worth 1,000 words

_**Round 8 Cannons CHASER 3: [Seeker, AelysAlthea, Wigtown Wanderers]-Seamus had a crush on Dean for YEARS, and that they pretty much got together at the end of 6th year when Dean pulled his head from his butt and realised.**_

 _(Word) elegant_

 _(Food) bagel_

 _(Restriction) no mention of Hogwarts Staff_

 ** _Beta'd by: Emilyia Wolfe_**

 ** _Word Count without A/N: 1,935_**

 _A/N: At the bottom is a collection of short excerpts written when writer's block kept me from writing. They are not part of the actual story and are only included for humorous purposes. Enjoy!_

* * *

Dean sighed as Ginny stared longingly after Harry, stopping mid sentence. He frowned down at his plate, propping his head up on a fist as he wondered — once again — if he and Ginny were really meant to be together.

"Yo, Dean!" Seamus' voice broke through his thoughts, and Dean turned to look at his best friend. "Toss me a bagel?!"

"Cream or Jam?" Dean called back grinning, automatically reaching out to grab one of the bagels from the plate in front of him.

"Jam for your main man!" A wink accompanied the sung words and Dean chuckled.

It took no time at all for Dean to slather strawberry jam onto one of the bagel sides before squishing the breakfast bread together and tossing it down the table. Seamus caught it with one hand, taking a small bite before grinning wider.

"Elegant throw! Eight out of ten would catch again, but the throwing needs some work!" Seamus winked. "I actually had to stretch to catch that one!"

Laughter erupted from all sides of the table and Dean looked back down at his plate chuckling. He took a bite of scrambled eggs and looked back up at his girlfriend. Ginny was scowling at him, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"I was in the middle of talking with you, Dean. Seamus could've waited, or you could've excused yourself before helping him." Her head tilted dangerously and Dean blinked in confusion. "Did you even hear anything I said, or were you too focused on your boyfriend, sorry, best friend?"

And suddenly, Dean was done.

It had been too much at once — Ginny, Seamus, the noise, his exhaustion — and he snapped. His fuse was finally blown.

"No," Dean started as he stood from the bench. "I hadn't realized you were finished ogling Harry's arse."

Ginny's jaw dropped and Dean shrugged before grabbing his bag from the floor. He started walking away and waved a hand over his shoulder.

"We'll talk later, I have a painting class to get to."

…..

Dean stared at his blank canvas, his focus going in and out as he tried to figure out what mattered the most to him in the Magical World.

"Now remember," Zacharius mocked their previous lesson. "We can paint anything as long as it's important to us…. Even if it's a part of your body."

The red haired Hufflepuff winked across the room as laughter erupted all around. Dean scowled, reaching down into his bag to grab his earmuffs from Herbology. Silence greeted him as the pink fluffs settled over his ears, and Dean got out his paints. He would do what he normally did — start and hope for the best.

He took out his faithful brush, Tulip — a gift from his little sister — and dipped it into his self-cleaning water can. The dark red color he had mixed last week caught his eye from his palette, and with a grin, he set to work. It was easy to lose himself to the familiar task, thinking about anything and everything. As he worked, colors blurred across his vision, blues, reds, blacks, whites, golds, all splashing and dancing across his canvas.

"Are you ready for that talk yet?"

Dean gasped and dropped his brush, whirling around to see Ginny standing in the doorway. A quick glance around the classroom told him that he had once again lost himself in his art — there was no one else in the classroom. He sighed, bending down to pick up his brush and setting it on the small table to his left.

"Yeah, let's get this over with."

Ginny blinked at him before turning her head slightly to look over his shoulder. A bitter laugh left her lips.

"We both knew that this wouldn't work," Ginny stepped forward, "and yet we still tried. I have feelings for Harry; I knew you had feelings for Seamus."

Dean froze.

He what now?

"Thank you for dating me Dean. Goodbye." Ginny pressed a small kiss to his cheek, before giving him a small, sad smile. "The painting is really beautiful."

And then Ginny was gone. It was sort of relieving actually — he hadn't had to say a thing. (It had been one of the reasons he had asked her out in the first place.) But Dean was still confused about one of the things Ginny had stated.

He wasn't in love with Seamus… was he?

Color teased his vision from the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to look. There, resplendent and life-like in his painting, was Seamus. His roommate and best friend was mid-laugh, one arm around his stomach as the other braced himself against his bedpost. His smile was bright and open, eyes crinkled as he stared back at Dean through his painting. He was… beautiful.

"Ah, shit."

…..

Dean was laying on his bed when Seamus came in, cheeks red as he laughed at something Ron had just said. Flames kicked at Dean's stomach and he rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

"I was thinking of playing a game of footie later, Dean," Seamus began as he made his way to his own bed. "Harry and Ron have convinced Hermione to try it out, and Ginny said she'd be there, so you can't give us the 'I can't because my girlfriend wants me somewhere else' excuse."

"Wouldn't be able to give that excuse anyway," Dean muttered, moving to sit up on his bed. "Ginny and I broke up today."

Seamus froze, his shirt still halfway on. Dean let his eyes roam across the expanse of skin, committing it to memory so that he could sketch it later on.

"What? Why?" The shirt was tossed to the floor and Seamus sat on the bed with Dean, leaning against the headboard as he gaped. "How did this even happen? You two looked so happy together the other day."

Dean was definitely not hearing bitterness. Nope. His life wasn't that perfect.

"We both realized that we were using each other to get over another person. I didn't even realize it until Ginny pointed it out," Dean said, tilting his head back to look up at his canopy. "We've been fighting off and on the past month, and I think we were both just really tired with it. Or… at least I was."

Seamus was silent, and when Dean rolled his head to look at him, the teenager — almost a man — was squinting across the room.

"That actually makes sense." Seamus' eyes darted from Dean back to the window he had been staring out of. "But now you have me curious."

Dean tilted his head in confusion. He had thought he'd explained everything perfectly! What else was there for him to explain? Did Seamus actually want a play-by-play of his break up?

"Who is this person you are in love with and didn't realize? Do I know her?"

Dean swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "You, uh, you wouldn't know them."

His heart was pounding, racing in his chest. Dean was almost sure that it would pop right out and run away. How could he tell his best friend that he was gay for him? What if Seamus was straight? What if he wasn't straight but he didn't return Dean's feelings? It was that thought that punched a hole in Dean. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't brea—

"Dean?" Seamus' voice broke through his thoughts, a hand coming up to rest on Dean's shoulder. Dean stared at him with wide eyes, panic slowly building in his chest again. When Seamus opened his mouth to speak once more, Dean ran from the room and away from Seamus, from heartbreak.

His footsteps were in time with his heartbeat, echoing loudly as he stormed down the stairs. Paintings and people flashed by, voices blurring as concerned friends called out to him. Dean had no idea where he was going until he was staring up into the face of a laughing Seamus.

"What am I going to do?" The words were whispered as he sank to the floor, curling his arms around his knees as he stared at his painting.

"Dean!" The door banged open, accompanying Seamus' shout. Dean cursed inside his head. Why had he followed him!? It made no sense! "Whoa…."

Dean didn't know if he could take much more of this.

"Why did you follow me?"

"What are you talking about?" Seamus walked forward, eyes still locked on the painting. "Ginny told me that you needed to talk to me, so I followed you. Is that a painting of me? It looks amazing! Why is there a painting of me? What was the assignment?"

Dean strangled the whine that was building up in his throat. What was he supposed to say to that? 'Oh, yeah, I was just told to paint the most important thing to me in the magical world and then I ended up painting you! No homo though, bro.' Dean blinked; he might not be able to say that word for word, but he could say something along the lines of it. Nodding to himself, he gathered all of the Gryffindor courage he had in his body and prepared to tell his best friend about his feelings.

"I... We were told we had to paint something important to us. I painted you." Dean took a deep breath and then turned so that he wasn't facing Seamus. "You're my best friend and the most important thing to me, Seamus. I… I love you."

"This is happening," Seamus breathed out, hands coming up to grip his hair. "Holy Merlin, this is actually happening."

And fuck if that didn't hurt Dean.

"A-and I know that you don't feel the same way, and that's okay, but I want you to know that I won't let it affect our friendship. I - "

"This. Is. Not. Happening," Seamus said again, his eyes widening as he stumbled towards one of the stools. "I need to sit down."

"Uh, Seamus? Are you okay?" Dean shuffled towards him a couple steps before stopping. "Seamus?"

"You love me?" The words were squeaked out. "And this isn't a dream?"

Dean frowned, reaching out to pinch Seamus. "Did you feel that?"

"Ow." Seamus blinked, and then a grin stretched across his face. "It's real. This is happening. You, you love me."

Dean winced. "Ye-yeah, I do."

"This is the best day of my life."

Seamus stood up and threw himself at Dean. Dean stumbled back, wrapping his arms instinctively around his friend's body and then collapsed to the floor, grunting at the weight that landed on him. He wheezed, trying to get his breath back as Seamus pushed himself up onto his hands. He had a large smile on his face, and his eyes were sparkling with joy. He was so beautiful, that the air Dean had finally managed to inhale was knocked right back out of him.

"I love you too, you doofus." Seamus was blushing, face ducking down slightly as he spoke. "I have since third year. I just thought you were straighter than Snape."

The two teenagers stared at each other in shock over what Seamus had just said, before bursting into laughter. Seamus was laughing so hard that he fell back onto Dean. Dean didn't care, everything was perfect; he was perfect. Their laughter slowly puttered away, and eventually they were left staring into each other's eyes. Dean reached up a hand, caressing Seamus' cheek softly.

"...beautiful."

And then he was leaning up, his eyes slowly fluttering closed as his lips met Seamus'.

* * *

 ** _EXCERPTS that were removed because reasons._**

 _1._

 _"You owe me ten galleons, Hermione." Ginny's voice rang throughout the room, and both boys sprung apart, cursing as they rolled into the various objects. Hermione grinned and slapped a small pouch into the redhead's outstretched hand._

 _"That's fine, Luna owes me two dates now."_

 _2._

 _"Seamus, bro," Dean reached out and grabbed his best friend's hand. "I love you."_

 _Seamus blinked before staring down at their interlocked hands._

 _"Dean, that's gay bro."_

 _3._

 _"Harry?" Ginny stumbled through the darkened locker rooms, searching for her crush._

 _"Oh, Ron~!" Harry's moan rang out through the room and Ginny blushed hard._

 _"You're so beautiful Harry." Ron's mumer caused vomit to raise in her throat. She didn't want to be here anymore._

 _4._

 _Luna and Hermione stared after Dean's retreating back. "A date says that Dean and Seamus are together by the end of the week." Luna commented, taking a bite of her pudding. Hermione grinned._

 _"Two says they're together in the next three days."_


	14. The Breaking and Fixing of Longbottoms

**_Gloves: Write about a witch or wizard protecting someone._**

 ** _(emotion) disappointment_**

 ** _(word) grass-stain_**

 ** _(dialogue) "If I was a foot taller, would it have made a difference?"_**

 ** _Battle of the Black Lake: Write about Frank/Alice_**

 ** _Beta'd by: Emy and Jenny! Thanks you guys!_**

 ** _Word Count without A/N: 1,822_**

 ** _WARNING. PLEASE READ. Character Death and brief description of blood. There is also mention of child death. I do not go into explicit detail, but it is still there. Do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of this. WARNING. PLEASE READ._**

* * *

 _Alice was scrubbing at the grass-stains in her husband's clothes. Frank had gone to visit his mother, and the pair had been lead through the gardens by an orderly. Everything had been fine until Frank had mentioned Bellatrix Lestrange's imprisonment. Augusta had gone feral, attacking the orderly and screaming the word 'No' over and over again. Frank had had to wrestle his mother to the ground. (Wanda were not allowed in the Mental Health Ward of St. Mungos for this very reason.)_

 _"Alice."_

 _She flinched at her husband's voice, scrubbing the fabric harder as tears began to blur her vision. Hands fell onto hers, and she stopped scrubbing, shoulders shaking._

 _"Alice, why don't you let Iggy finish that?"_

...

"Now that we've assembled the Order, we need to talk about what to do with young Draco." Albus Dumbledore stood in front of the cramped room, twinkling eyes dulled by the severity of the situation. "Lucius and Narcissa betrayed Voldemort in order to protect Draco. They wanted him to lead a life free from war, and they were willing to tell us Voldemort's strategies, at the risk to their own lives. Sadly, they paid that price. However, before they died, I promised that I would look after their son." "I will not be able to take the child." Severus Snape spoke up from the back corner of the room. Several people shifted, hands slipping closer to their wands. Voldemort may have been dead, and Severus may have been a spy, but he was a very convincing spy,. "I may be the boy's godfather, but if what you say is true, my duties will only bring him danger ."

Albus turned his gaze to the red haired group up front, eyes questioning. "Molly? Arthur?"

"I'm sorry, Albus. We don't have the room or the money for another child. On top of that, how do you think he'd feel growing up being the only blonde in the family?" Arthur said, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"Very well. Is there anyone here who would be willing to take him into their home?" Blue eyes traversed the room, disappointment evident as no one spoke up. He let out a sigh, his eyes closing in defeat. "Then I will be sending him to an orphana-"

"We'll take him." A small woman with brown hair strode forward, head held high. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her voice hoarse. Beside her, a tall man stood with his hand on her shoulder. "We'll take him, Albus."

"Are you sure Alice? It's not too soon after…." Albus trailed off, hands coming together in front of him. "Frank?"

"It'll be fine." Frank spoke up, a small, sad smile punctuating his sentence. "Besides, we already have a baby's room setup and ready for use."

"Thank you." Albus smiled at the couple quickly before turning his gaze back to the group. "And now we must discuss young Harry. I've sent him to a hidden location; Hagrid and Minerva are the only people besides myself who know where the boy is. I am aware that many of you have offered to take care of the boy, however, the place he has been sent to is protected by blood wards."

Gasps sounded from around the room at that, but Alice and Frank didn't hear them. The couple was once again back in the opposite corner to Severus, huddled together as they fought with their grief and their happiness.

...

 _"If I was a foot taller, would it have made a difference? Like, do you think things would've been different?" Alice questioned, her head tilting. Frank was beside her, a grin on his face as he watched his wife skip in front of him. "I mean, I know how much you love to loom over me when I'm cooking, or cleaning, or taking care of Neville."_

 _"Hey," Frank protested, reaching out to pull her into a hug. "I do not loom. And it wouldn't matter 'cause I would just grow another foot to keep you the same height." Alice giggled as he kissed her nose before pouting and pulling away._

 _"That doesn't even make sense, Frank!"_

 _Their hands stayed interconnected as they continued walking down the street, swinging between them._

 _"Do you think Mum is doing okay with Neville? I know he was fussy when you left," Frank questioned, looking down at his wife. Her expression pinched._

 _"I would like to say yes, but I know how Neville gets when he's angry. I don't know what's caused him to be so clingy lately, but it makes him hard to care for sometimes. Even Iggy, our house-elf, said that they were having problems with Neville when are away at work."_

 _"That's what I was afraid of." Frank sighed, before gently tugging on Alice's hand. "Wanna head home early? Cuddle with Neville some?"_

 _Alice nodded, leaning up for a quick peck on the lips before separating their hands and taking a step back._

 _"Last one in the house has to change Neville's diaper!" And then she spun on her heel, laughing._

 _Frank chuckled and Apparated after his wife._

 _"NO!" Frank was first aware of the screams of his wife, and then the smell of smoke. His eyes widened as the flames registered in his brain. His wand was quickly in hand, and he joined Alice - for she was his partner now, not his wife, not in this situation - in trying to control the flames._

 _"It's Fiendfyre!" he called out, sweat beading on his brow both from the heat and the effort of controlling the dark magic. (It was hard to focus. Thoughts of his mother and his child kept pressing into his mind, reaching for his heart and lungs and tugging, tugging-tugging-tugging-)_

 _"I've found the heart!" Alice called out, and Frank turned to look in her direction. Her small form was braced, wand pointed at the head of a large snake. "Head inside and see if they're in there! I've got this!"_

 _Frank didn't hesitate, couldn't hesitate, and dashed for the door. His feet pounded in time with his heart, and when he slammed the door open and screamed for his son, the silence stopped his heart. He made his way to the stairs, using a quick spell to transfigure the wood into steel and concrete, a matter unable to burn._

 _"Homenum Revelio."_

 _Thick smoke curled from his wand and pointed up the stairs, and relief filled Frank's lungs. His family was still alive, they were fine. They were alive._

 _"Mum? Can you hear me?" Frank opened up a door, and sighed when there was nothing but an empty room. Footsteps sounded behind him, and Alice was suddenly in the empty doorway._

 _"Frank?" Her shoulders were drawn up to her ears, and her wand was still gripped tightly in her hand. "How did they find us? The only person who knew where we were was my sister, and she's in America visiting her husband's family."_

 _Frank shook his head. "I don't know. There is someone still here though. They're on this floor, but I haven't heard anything or found anything yet."_

 _"Maybe Augusta hid behind a silencing ward? Neville was probably panicking and crying loudly." Alice bit her lip before turning back to the hallway. "I'll take the doors on the right, you take the doors on the left?"_

 _"Deal, but only if you handle my mother and her temper."_

 _That got a chuckle out of his wife — and that was what she was now that he knew they were safe — and together they headed down the hallway, checking room after room._

 _..._

Alice stared down at the sleeping child. He was small for a one-year-old, barely the size of her torso. A layer of white gold covered his head, little fly-aways making themselves known as they glimmered in the light of the hallway. Little Draco was still under the effects of the sleeping potion Severus had given him earlier, his thumb hanging limply in his mouth as he dreamed.

Arms wrapped around her waist, and Alice leant back into the embrace.

"Do you think Neville would've been a good brother?" Her voice hitched on the last word, but she didn't cry. She had already cried enough tears for two lifetimes. "Would he have been happy?"

Frank pressed a kiss to her hair. "Of course he would've."

And even though Alice had cried enough for both of them, Frank felt his eyes begin to water at the thought of what would have been. He lifted a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes before wrapping it back around his wife. They were broken, yes, but he knew they would heal in time. It would take years, maybe more than he could count, but it would happen.

For now, they would stand watch over their newest son in the night, keeping the monsters that tore their families apart at bay so that his dreams would be filled with peace.

...

 _There was only one door left to be opened, their master bedroom and the adjoining nursery. Hope fluttered in Alice's chest as she laid a hand on the door._

 _"Count of three?"_

 _Frank nodded and she held up her wand-hand, flicking her wands three times before slamming the door open and raising her wand. Frank stood next to her, shield charm up and ready in case their were any enemies holding hostages._

 _"The stump ate the heart, and hair began to grow!"_

 _Augusta Longbottom sat in the middle of their bedroom floor, arms waving in time to her song as her aquamarine dress lay in shambles around her, stained with red. Lacerations covered her body, blood painting her skin in streaks. A twitch of her head revealed that her perfect bun had been sliced cruelly off, hair flaring out from her skull like spikes._

 _"The fountain cried as the pot began to crow!"_

 _Alice felt her wand drop from her fingers, and faintly registered Frank rushing past her to his mother._

 _"Mum? Mum!" Frank grasped at scratching hands, yelling as torn nails clawed at his skin. "Alice, help me! She's going to hurt herself even more!"_

 _Her heart stopped in her chest._

 _"Neville."_

 _The word was barely a whisper, and as she turned towards the door beside their bed, she felt them grow._

 _"Neville!"_

 _Time stopped for Alice Longbottom in that moment. And from that night on, time would forever tick just a second behind._

 _The door was torn off its hinges. Splinters of wood decorated the ground like old confetti. Toys lay broken all over the nursery floor, stuffing scattered about in a mimicry of snow. And in the center of the room…._

 _In the center of the room was her baby._

 _"And as the wind howled, and as the frog croaked," Augusta's voice echoed through the night. "The grandmother lost hold of hope!"_

 _Darkness welled up from the edges of Alice's vision, and the last thing she heard was the cackling of Augusta and the cries of her husband._


	15. The Cycle of Life

_**Assignment #7: A Study of Magical Healing: Anapeo - Write about a person who finds a way to breath again.**_

 _ **Cannons QLFC Chaser 3: Write about heartbreak on a summer day(s) OR write an unrequited (doesn't necessarily have to be) love coming true on a winter's night(s).**_

 _ **(quote) I gave you a second chance. I ran back into a burning house to save the things I love. - Beau Taplin, House on Fire**_

 _ **(song) Oceans - Seafret**_

 _ **(word) asleep**_

 _ **This is going to be a Muggle!AU. And Angsty. Just, prepare for heartbreak you guys. (Harry is still born on July 31st in this fic, just so that you have a timeline for this. :3)**_

 _ **WC: 1,046**_

 _ **Beta'd by: Mary and Autumn**_

* * *

" _It feels like there's oceans_

 _Between you and me_

 _Once again_

 _We hide our emotions_

 _Under the surface_

 _And try to pretend_

 _But it feels like there's oceans_

 _Between you and me_

 _You know that I'd rather drown_

 _Than to go on without you"_

 _Oceans - Seafret_

* * *

 _James cursed as he ran faster, bullets tearing up the ground around his feet. He had two more feet, just two more, until he would reach his brothers - until he would reach Remus_ _and Sirius. They had been ambushed and Remus was injured. The two were hunkered down in a small stone building and James made a run for it without thinking._

 _They were his family; he would do anything for them._

 _His boot came down hard on the door, and he was immediately screaming at his teammates, his brothers._

 _"Sirius! Get Remus out of there!" James knelt in the doorway and switched his rifle from single to burst. "I'll cover your arses!"_

 _"James? What are you doing you idiot!?" Sirius pulled Remus closer to his chest and growled. "You're going to die!"_

 _"I am not leaving you two here to die! You're supposed to be getting married this winter and Lily would kill me if I didn't do everything in my power to make sure her plans for your wedding were ruined with your deaths!"_

 _"And Lily would kill us for not getting you home to see your child!"_

 _"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Now go!"_

* * *

Lily groaned as the doorbell rang. She loved her husband and her unborn child, but having to get up with a beach ball strapped to her waist was a struggle she could've done without.

"I'm coming," Lily shouted out the words as she wobbled down the hallway. Who could it be this time? She had scheduled today to be her 'me' day. A day for her to relax and write a letter to her husband about how their little bean was doing. If she was lucky Alice would come by with food so she wouldn't have to get up except to go to the restroom.

"How can I-"

Lily stopped at the sight of the two men standing on her doorstep. Regulus Black and Remus Lupin were both men she was familiar with. In fact, they were practically family. Regulus and his brother Sirius had been adopted by the Potters after the death of their parents in a housefire. Remus was engaged to Sirius.

"Remus? I thought you were deployed with James and Sirius?" Lily felt her heartbeat speed up as she took in the sling holding Remus' arm up and the bandages wrapped around his head. "If you're back, where's James?"

"Oh, Lily," Remus whispered the words softly, stepping forward and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry."

Lily couldn't breathe.

Her husband — the father of her child — couldn't be dead. It was impossible to believe. The man had promised her that he would return. He-he was supposed to be there. Why wasn't he there?

"Lily," Regulus spoke this time, coming up to stand next to her and wrap his arms around her waist. "He died getting Sirius and Remus to safety. Sirius refused to leave James' side, so he's on the plane flying over with him now."

It made no sense! James had said they were just doing a supply run, so why was he - where was he? Surely this was a joke, some trick of James' so that she would forgive him for being late with his letter.

Lily gasped for breath as the world spun and broke around her. Her legs gave out and pain slashed across her torso. Lily wrapped her arms around her stomach and curled up into a ball, aware of the world screaming at her.

"Remus, call an ambulance, her water broke!"

"Hold on, Lily!"

"I can't get her to stop screaming!"

The voices came and went as Lily fought against the well of grief and anger and pain that was trying to drown her. They clawed at her clothing and skin, pulling and ripping and Lily struggled against all of them.

"The placenta detached! We have to go into surgery!"

Lily cried out as the words registered in her mind. She couldn't do this, she couldn't lose her bean too! Why was this happening?! Someone help her! James, save them! James!

Blackness clawed at the edge of her vision and tugged her under.

"James!"

* * *

"How is he?"

"He's doing fine, sleeping right now. How is she?"

"They said she's supposed to be waking up soon."

* * *

Lily let out a whimper as she woke up. Something was wrong, something was missing, and she had no idea what it was.

"Good morning, little bean." Lily forced a smile onto her face and then lifted a hand to her stomach to rub her child. He fingers met with air and Lily's eyes snapped down to see a hospital bed. Beeping filled her ears as she reached up her other hand to claw at her stomach. Had she lost her child while asleep?

"No, no, no, nononono-"

She couldn't do this again, she couldn't lose her little bean too!

"Lily!" Regulus' voice broke through her haze of grief and Lily looked up at him, crying.

"My bean, where's my bean?" she gasped, curling up again.

"Calm down, Lily," Regulus rushed over to her and climbed on the bed, wrapping her in his arms. "Your son is in the ward sleeping with all the other newborns."

Relief, crisp and clear, flooded Lily. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she leaned into her brother.

"My… son?"

Regulus nodded, his cheek brushing against the top of her head. "Remus is on baby watch at the moment. We didn't want to leave him alone."

"Harry," Lily stated, sitting up and wiping at her face. "His name is Harry James."

Grief clogged her throat and Lily took another steadying breath before pushing her grief away. She was a mother now, a single mother, and she had to be strong.

She would not lose Harry like she lost her James.

* * *

 _"Why don't we name him after your father?" Lily grinned up at James, her fingers tracing designs on her stomach._

 _"Charles? We're not going to do that to the poor boy." James laughed and bent down to kiss his wife. "What about Harry? After your Aunt who died?"_

 _"Harry Potter," Lily whispered the name into the kiss and pulled back with a grin. "I like it."_


	16. A Bond Formed in Battle

_**Write about a budding friendship on a spring day.**_

 _ **QLFC Cannons Beater One**_

 _ **Reserve Fic**_

 _ **WC: 1,093**_

 _ **A/N: The Battle of Hogwarts takes place on May 2nd, which is when this fic is placed. I also have this Headcannon that Lee was only really close with Fred and George, and that's where this idea came from.**_

* * *

Lee was worried.

There was a war happening around him, but the only thought on his mind was, "I can't find Forge or Gred anywhere."

George had already been injured this year. (Lee remembered him walking into their store with bandages wrapped around his head, a joke already on his lips about how Lee would have to speak louder now.) He couldn't handle it if one or the other was hurt once more.

"Fred!" Lee shot off another slicing hex at a figure cloaked in black before turning to run down another hallway. "George!"

What if he never found his two best friends? What if he only found their bodies?

The thoughts crushed Lee, stealing the breath from his chest and pushing his legs to run faster. Flashes of light burst on the edges of his vision; reds and blues and greens blurred with the screams of pain and cries of death as he ran by. Sobs filled the air as groups of people crouching down in corners flew by — the number of huddles growing with each corridor he passed.

His heart beat faster and faster. Lee felt his stomach flip and flop as his throat closed up. Fred and George had kept him out of the fights so far, locking him up at their house so he could do the radio show. The closest to the fighting he had ever gotten was during his last year at Hogwarts helping the DA deal with Umbridge.

"Luna! Let her go, you arse!" Ginny's voice broke through Lee's concentration and he skidded to a stop, eyes frantically searching the corridor for a sign of the redhead. She was standing with her back to a wall, eyes fierce as she glared down a large werewolf. Her long red hair had been pulled back, causing Lee's gaze to skip over her once before quickly flying back.

"Ginny," Lee called out, dashing over to stand next to her. The youngest Weasley didn't spare him a glance, her arm whipping through the air to snap out a ticking hex at their opponent. The man was tall, his eyes a silvery sheen in his pointed face. When he snarled at them, teeth sharp and pointed, Lee felt a shiver go down his spine. The werewolf had Luna clutched in his grasp, the blonde's eyes closed as her mouth gasped for air and her hands clawed at hooked fingers.

"Keep his guard up," Ginny growled lowly under her breath. "I'm going to run him down from the side."

Lee blinked. He wanted to search for his boys, the two men whom he had depended on for eight years — whom he still depended on — but he knew if he left Ginny alone they would skin him alive. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

He could do this; he _would_ do this.

For Gred and Forge.

"Alright," Lee whispered back, his weight shifting to the balls of his feet as he bent his knees. "Make him think you left."

"I have to find my family! Save her, Lee!" And then she was gone, vanishing around the corner with a last hex aimed at the feet of the werewolf. The beast howled, dancing back a couple steps before baring his teeth in a sinister grin.

A twist of his wrist had a dark yellow spell shooting out of the end of Lee's wand. The beast dropped Luna's body to the floor, a sickening thud echoing from where she collided with the stone. Anger, sharp and hot, twisted to life in Lee's chest, and he shot forward. Hex after curse left his wand, the werewolf snapping his own wand up to counter them. Behind the beast, a large chunk of the ceiling caught his eye, and Lee grinned. He Accio'ed the bit of ceiling silently — thanking Harry absently for showing him how to perfect it his seventh year.

"Careful there mate," Lee called out as he stood up straight. "One wrong step and you'll be fallin' for me!"

As soon as the last word left his mouth, the chunk of stone smacked into the back of the werewolf's head. Body and rock went tumbling to the floor together in one large pile, and Lee dashed over to make sure he stayed down.

"Luna!" Ginny appeared at the opposite end of the corridor, her chest heaving as she booked it to her fallen friend. "Luna!"

"Is she alright?" Lee glanced over at the two girls, his wand hand raised in the air as he searched the hall for anymore threats.

"She's breathing, but she's hurt." Ginny pulled the girl into her lap, cradling her head in her arms. "She needs healing!"

"Alright," Lee swallowed the panic building in his chest once again. "I'll carry her if you watch out for enemies."

"Deal."

Lee nodded and stashed his wand in his belt holster, thanking his mother for the late graduation present absently. He stooped to pluck the blonde out of Ginny's arms before straightening.

"Lead the way."

Ginny met his eyes before nodding and whirling around, her wand up and at the ready. The younger girl stalked down the hall, curses zipping from the end of her wand to knock out anyone threatening that came into sight. (Lee was reminded of the days Fred and George would come home to cuddle, tales of their sister filling the air. If he focused he could hear their laughter at the story he was able to tell in return of Ginny taking down an ex-boyfriend with her infamous bat-bogey hex.)

After what felt like hours, but was actually minutes, the two arrived at the Infirmary. Ginny pushed the doors open before turning to quickly shut them as Lee darted in after her.

"Madame Pomfrey," Lee called out as he made his way over to one of the cots. "I've got a patient for you!"

The old woman quickly made her way over to them, her wand already waving through the air. "I've got it from here, dears. You two go rest."

Exhaustion suddenly filled Lee's limbs, and he stumbled over to where Ginny was standing by the door. Her gaze was fixed on her friend, the bags under her eyes making her look ten years old than she was.

"Come on," Lee gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He steered them towards a large sofa in the corner of the room, making sure they could still see the blonde. "Let's go rest. Besides, your brothers would kill me if I let you collapse from exhaustion."


	17. Insert Something Witty Here

**Cannons Chaser Three QLFC Prompts: Write about two characters in a school peer relationship.**

 **There were supposed to be prompts to use; however, we missed the turn in time, so they are not included.**

 _Characters: Teddy Lupin and Albus Dumbledore._

 **A/N: Obviously, this is going to be a Muggle!AU. Some of the characters are going to be OOC. Enjoy! This is dedicated to my wives! I love you all!**

 **Beta'd by:** Emiliya Wolfe, NeonDomino

 **WC:** 1,504

* * *

Teddy settled onto his drawing horse with a sigh. The wooden desk — slash chair — was useful, but it was also a pain in the arse... literally.

"What do you think we'll be doing today?" Victorie slid onto the the drawing horse next to him and Teddy sighed. His ex-girlfriend was dressed in fuzzy purple pajama pants with a white blouse. It shouldn't match, but it worked on the woman.

"Life drawing again, Professor M. set up the stage," Teddy replied, frowning down at his box of supplies. He would have to go and pick up some more charcoal sometime this week, he only had three sticks left and one of them had been split in half.

"Then it's a good thing I stopped and got us coffee, isn't it?" Victorie held out a Starbucks cup and grinned, wiggling the cup in front of Teddy's face. The scent of cinnamon and caramel wafted across his nose and he swiped at it, cursing the blonde when she snatched the cup away.

"Vic, come on."

"Nope," Victorie replied, pulling the cup to her chest. "Who's the sexiest person in the room?"

"Clearly it's my wonderful professor and advisor, Mama G." Teddy turned to wink at the woman who had just walked into the room. Victorie turned to grin at the professor and Teddy snatched his cup out of her hand, taking a sip before letting out a loud sigh.

"I hope you're all ready to behave like civilized adults today." McGonagall set down her bag and reached up to pull a pencil out of her silver bun. "We'll be adding some students from one of my other classes and working on life drawings. I've taught all of you how to behave when working with a model and I expect those lessons to stick."

"That means we're drawing another old and wrinkled person." Victorie leaned over and whispered the words, her eyes sparkling with humor. Teddy waved a hand at her, scowling.

"Be nice. They don't have to come and stand or sit still for hours. Besides, you like the old and wrinkly ones," Teddy said. Victoire gasped and laid a hand on her chest, opening her mouth to speak before the door opening distracted them both.

"Minerva! How are you this lovely spring morning?" The man who had just walked in strolled over to their professor and raised her hand to kiss it. His long white beard gently brushed the floor as he bowed, and when he stood up it came to mid-calf. Their professor giggled and retracted her hand, swatting at the man. Teddy turned to Victoire and widened his eyes, snickering when she pretended to gag in return.

"Albus, you know that I'm your professor right now. Go have a seat and we'll finish talking later." Professor Minerva frowned at him before winking and turning to begin writing on the board. "Alright class, take your seats, eyes on me."

The scraping of chairs over the concrete floors filled the room and Teddy frowned, reaching a hand up to rub at his ears. Once all the noise had settled down to the breathing of people and the scratching of charcoal on paper, Professor Minerva faced them all with her hands on her hips.

"Alright, now that you've all settled down, I'm going to tell you how today's class is going to be different from our others. Normally, I have you split up into two different classes, but I've decided to pair a student from my first class with a student from the second." She gestured to the board behind her. "You'll be sketching the person as they sketch you. Partner assignments are listed on the board and I'll be putting on some music for those of you who don't have your own."

Victorie groaned and tilted her head back. Teddy snickered and rolled his eyes, turning to scan the board curiously. Would he get paired with a freshman?

Teddy Lupin and Albus Dumbledore

His eyebrows furrowed the longer he stared at the name. It sounded so familiar; where had he heard that name before?

"Looks like you get old and wrinkly," Victorie whispered in his ear, pulling away to laugh at the blood draining from his face. Teddy didn't want this! Why did he have to get paired with the weird man that flirted with their professor?!

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lupin?" It was the man from earlier. "I'm Albus, I believe we're supposed to be working together today?"

"Er, yes, that's me." Teddy sighed and shooed Victorie away. "Go find your own partner you vixen."

The blonde stuck her tongue out and then skipped over to the other side of the room. Teddy scrunched his nose at her, rolling his eyes and then turning to look at his new partner.

"So, how do you want me?" Albus grinned wide, stretching an arm out. "Floor or chair?"

Teddy blinked, his mouth dropping open and closing quickly. He swallowed and steeled himself. It looked as if Teddy had a challenge for a partner; time to see what the old man was made of.

"If it won't hurt your back, I'd love to sketch you laid out on the floor. The texture in your shirt and the way your beard would lay out would be compositionally pleasing in my mind." Teddy leaned forward, raising a challenging eyebrow as he propped his elbow up on the edge of the drawing horse.

"Only if you're willing to stand while you work," Albus replied, lowering himself to the floor and crossing his ankles. "Are we going to change any lighting before I get comfortable?"

"No," Teddy shook his head, getting up from his seat. "We're just sketching today. If it was a full on drawing session, then I would recommend setting up lighting. Do you want one of the cushions we use for the models; I can grab one as I grab an easel?"

Albus nodded his thanks, and turned to get out his pencils. Teddy quickly ran over to the corner, grabbing one of the square pillows and a standing easel, carrying both back to the little section they had claimed.

"Here's that cushion," Teddy let the pillow fall to the floor as he set up his easel. "Are you ready to start?"

"I've already started."

"Ther- wait, what?" Teddy blinked and turned to look down at the man settled carefully on the floor. Blue eyes twinkled behind glasses as wrinkled hands carefully turned around the drawing board that had been propped up on his thighs. In soft graphite, aa figure holding a cushion was visible on the paper. Distinct features were ineligible, but Teddy was still in awe. He had only been gone for maybe a minute, and Albus had already completed one sketch.

"How did you…."

"I've been drawing since I was your age. Merely as a hobby, of course, and then my lovely niece asked for me to join her class." Albus winked at Teddy and turned the drawing board back around.

"Niece?" Teddy coughed slightly at the squeak he heard in his own voice. "Professor M is your niece?"

"Yes."

He could hear the satisfaction in his voice. Teddy scowled down at his own paper. This is what he got for jumping to conclusions. Quiet classical music began to drift through the room, and Teddy let the notes relax him.

"Is it alright if we talk? I find that the more distracted I am, the more I'm able to focus on what I'm drawing." Albus spoke up a couple minutes later, and Teddy glanced up from where he had been sketching the man's feet.

"Oh, uhm, okay. What would you like to talk about?" Teddy questioned, setting down the piece of charcoal he had been using. He'd sketch Albus' face next, get practice in for the animation classes he would be taking in the future.

"Why did you start drawing? It's a question I enjoy asking all of the artists I come across." Albus chuckled softly, tilting his head to the side before setting his pencil down and picking up a smudge stick.

"My mom," Teddy paused to take a deep breath. "When I was little, we would draw together once a week. She would paint, and I would color — dad would be cooking — and it was something that stayed with us until…."

Teddy sighed and picked up the charcoal again, sketching an outline of Albus' eyes.

"What about you? Why did you start drawing?"

Albus hummed and then spoke up, his voice almost softer than the music.

"My younger sister had mental issues, and one of the only ways to calm her down was to doodle. After she died, I kept up with the drawing. Eventually it led to painting, and then I decided that in my final years, I would go back to the beginning."

Teddy smiled softly, reaching for his colored pencils.

It was a lovely thought, that they were both here for the people they had lost.


	18. DooRmshtRang: Following His Compass

_Chaser 3 Cannons - Rook: Write from the perspective of someone other than a student who lives in Hogwarts: a ghost, a house-elf, a teacher, a portrait, the Sorting Hat, etc._

 _Duelling Lessons: Write about trust between two people._

 _(word) Royalty_

 _(word) Freedom_

 _(Setting) Durmstrang_

 _(Object or word) Rook_

 **NOTE: Charlie and Viktor are going to be conversing in Bulgarian. It will be bolded like so. However, in the beginning Viktor is unaware of this so he attempts to speak in English and his accent is visible. "You must be Charlie. Welcome to Durmstrang", is what he says, but it is written out as we would pronounce it. :)**

 _Beta'd By: Amber, Bex, Jas, Lizzy_

 _Word Count: 907_

* * *

Charlie Weasley missed his old job. Sure, he was constantly getting burned and chewed and slashed at, but it had been rewarding and he always knew what he was getting himself into. His new job may have been just as — if not more — rewarding, but it was twice as random and there were times he didn't know what he was doing.

"Charlie, are you busy?" A voice spoke up from the doorway, and Charlie paused in his grading to look up at the speaker.

"Neville! Nope, I'm free as a bee." He winked at the younger man as he stood up from his chair, moving around his desk to lean against the opposite side. "What did you need?"

"Well." Neville relaxed against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest as he smiled down at his Care of Magical Creatures professor. "Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Hogwarts are going to be doing a Professor Exchange program this year so each school can see how certain teachers interact with students. Would you be willing to go to Durmstrang this year? I've heard they have dragons."

Charlie stood up and waved his wand, the papers on his desk flying over to land in his graded section.

"When do I leave?"

….

Charlie grinned as the cold air flooded his lungs. It brought back memories of winter in Romania with his mates; wind slapping his face as he raced a dragon on his broom through the hills; the freedom he had had while living with the powerful beasts.

"You must be Cuharrlie." Viktor Krum, retired Quidditch player and current Headmaster of Durmstrang, stepped off the stairs that led up to large wooden doors and walked towards him. "Welcome to Doorrmshtrrank."

" **Yes, Charlie Weasley at your service. Thank you for the welcoming Headmaster.** " Charlie strode forward to meet the man halfway, his hand outstretched. Viktor's eyes widened at Charlie's fluent Bulgarian and the redhead felt his smile widen into a smug grin. " **I heard you guys had a pair of dragon eggs hatch recently?** "

" **Yes, two Romanian Longhorns.** " Viktor shook his hand before turning to gesture up towards the stone castle he had appeared from. " **Would you like to get settled into your room before we go look at your new work area? We have a barn here for the cold seasons.** "

Charlie frowned down at the luggage case sitting harmlessly by his feet. He wanted to see dragons again, but he also didn't want to carry around the large case of necessities he had brought along with him. A flick of his wand and a muttered 'reducio' shrunk the case down to the size of a matchbox and he quickly bent down to pick it up and shove it into his pocket.

" **Problem solved!** " Charlie grinned up at Viktor and stretched his arms out above his head before clapping them together and rubbing them in excitement. " **Let's go see those babies!** "

Viktor nodded, and the two began to walk around the castle. The silence began to grasp at Charlie and he scowled before taking a deep breath.

" **So what do you do for fun around here? Hogwarts has poker night for the professors — anything similar for members of Durmstrang?** " Charlie glanced sideways at his temporary boss, smirking at the scandalized look on his face. " **Of course, that might be a little too much for your professors. Maybe we could do an ice-breaker over dinner? Something easy like two truths and one lie? I wouldn't want to ruin the royalty vibe you've got going on."**

" **We don't do anything as childish as poker,** " Viktor sniffed, turning his face away. " **There is Vodka Friday. It gives newbies like you Englishmen a chance to recover for classes three days later."**

Charlie threw his head back in laughter, his cheeks hurting from how wide his lips stretched with his grin. Viktor chuckled, motioning for Charlie to stop.

" **The barn is warded so that students don't enter and harm themselves. The password is Rook's Gambit; it's something my students and fans don't know about me.** " As Viktor spoke the phrase, he raised his wand and flicked it sharply in a diagonal line from his shoulder to his opposite foot. The large wooden doors of the barn groaned as they spread apart, and a blast of warmth accompanied the movement. A grin immediately spread over Charlie's face and he dashed into the building.

" **Can I transfer here permanently?!** " he called out as he dashed from door to door, his heart lightening at the sight of the dragons that had once been his water and air. Chirps and growls and rumbles rang out and Charlie stopped in the middle of the corridor, closing his eyes and taking everything in. The smells, the sounds, hell — even the air itself reminded him of Romania.

This… this felt like home.

" **I'm not sure Headmaster Longbottom would like that.** " Viktor stalked forward, his cloak trailing through the hay on the ground. " **But I wouldn't mind. You are very good at your job, and one of the best dragon keepers to ever live, according to some friends of mine.** "

Charlie opened his eyes, sinking his weight onto his heels as he turned to look at Viktor. He wiggled his eyebrows at the man before winking, turning on the good 'ole Weasley charm.

" **How about we see how this year goes, and then we can talk about a more permanent position?** "


	19. ONCE UPON A DREAM BITCHES

_Pawn | Write about a character being manipulated._

 _For:_ _Zivandre_

 _Voldemort/Hermione_

 _Romance/Horror_

 **Notes: Historical!AU Arranged Marriage!AU Muggle!AU. In other words, this is a non-magic, fic bitches. Buckle up and Prepare for ENJOYMENT. MWUAHAHAHHAHAHAAA!**

 _Beta'd By: Emy, Jas_

 _Word Count:_

* * *

" _But if I know you, I know what you'll do_

 _You'll love me at once_

 _The way you did once upon a dream"_

 _Once Upon A Dream- Lana Del Rey_

* * *

 _i._

Hermione sighed as reclined in her chair, eyes locked onto the chessboard in front of her. She only had a knight, six pawns, her king, and a bishop left.

"You're almost out of moves, Princess," her opponent hissed, drawing the words out as though he was tasting them, He moved a rook to take out her knight and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the edge of the table before cocking his head to the side mockingly. "How can you expect to be a Queen by my side, when you can barely keep up with me in a game of chess?"

"Sometimes, my Lord, you have to make sacrifices," Hermione smirked as she moved her pawn one space down, reaching the edge of the board, "in order to gain an advantage that blinds your enemy."

Her pawn was now a queen, and she had cornered his king with her bishop and her new piece.

"Checkmate."

 _ii._

"Hermione Granger, Princess of France!" the page shouted her name out into the room of dancing people, and the brunette scoffed under her breath as everyone turned to look at her. She knew that most people had no clue who she was — but the word 'Princess' had gotten their attention. Her dress caressed the stairs as she made her way down to the ballroom floor, eyes scanning the crowd for the man she was to meet tonight. A speck of black weaving his way through the dancing puppets caught her attention, and she turned to look at it, only to be swept away into a waltz.

"Severus."

The man smirked before dipping her gently. "My Lady, your husband-to-be is over by the feast enjoying the wine of flattery."

"Well then," Hermione murmured back, looking up into her handler's eyes through her eyelashes. "I should draw him away from temptation."

He pulled her back up, and they danced their way towards the edge of the room. Other dancers moved out of their way as they passed, jaws dropping in awe and jealousy of the grace these two people were emanating.

"Has he spotted us yet?" Her back was facing the crowd, and she smiled softly as she caught the eye of a blonde man in the corner.

"He has yet to take his gaze from you. Since the moment you were announced, his eyes were locked on you." A chuckle ran through Severus' chest and Hermione let a smirk cross her lips.

"Perfect. Are you ready to enact phase two?"

The two stopped dancing when they reached the edge of the dancing herd, and Severus took a step away from her to bow over her hand, placing a delicate kiss on her first knuckle before disappearing into the crowd once more.

"Your dancing skills are quite _astounding,_ my Lady." A voice as sweet as chocolate spoke from behind her, and it took all her willpower to not smirk.

"Lord Voldemort," Hermione turned on her heel and curtsied, making sure that her gaze never left his, "it was an honor to be invited."

 _iii._

"My Lord, are you sure she is the one you wish to marry?" Abraxas' brow furrowed as he asked his question, setting his wine glass down.

"You dare question your King?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow at his advisor, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I know what I'm doing Abraxas. Hermione Granger is smart enough to be a competent Queen, and weak-willed enough to bow to my lead. She is the perfect pawn. _My_ perfect pawn."

 _iv._

Hermione glared down at the lace gown laid out on her bed. This was part of the plan, something that needed to be done in order to secure her place on the throne, and yet she was struggling to push past the disgust she felt.

"Why should I have to dress myself up for a man I do not love? It's undignifying." The brunette huffed before turning to her lady-in-waiting. "Luna, do I have to wear this one?"

"It's either this one, or you go naked, Your Highness." Luna giggled the words, her blue eyes dancing with merriment. "I think you'll like it. There may not be much there, but it does give you a rather… _sharp_ look."

"Oh? I do love making a point." Hermione sighed before removing her robe and stretching out her naked arms. "Very well. Adorn me with this contraption!"

Their laughter filled the room as their shadows danced on the far wall.

 _v._

"Oh, Voldemort," Hermione sighed the words, leaning back against his chest as the curtains were drawn around them. She rolled her shoulder back, tilting her head to the side. A hiss escaped from his lips, and his hands immediately began to tug at her gown.

"This contraption looks perfect on you, but I'm growing tired of the jewel holders stabbing me every time I get close to you." The words were whispered against the bare skin of her shoulder, and Hermione closed her eyes.

She would survive this, and she would come out on top.

 _vi._

Hermione awoke to the sun on her back, and a dead man in her arms. Her screams rang through the castle, and when servants and guards busted down the door, it was to the sight of her sobbing over the corpse of her husband, duvet clutched to her naked breast.

 _vii._

The funeral for King Voldemort of Marvolo took place three days later. The cause of death was ruled as a brain bleed. Queen Hermione was seen laying a bouquet of white and purple roses on his casket. His tombstone read: _Checkmate, my Love - my Lord._


	20. A Road Traveled in Vain

**_Cannons Chaser 3: Write about someone's first time in Knockturn Alley_**

 ** _1.(word) ambiguous_**

 ** _6.(image) art/A-family-of-folded-dragons-24110210_**

 ** _14.(quote) "Money is the root of all money."_**

 ** _Yule Ball: 17. Walking about the Rose Gardens - Write about listening to someone else's secret._**

 ** _A/N: I've used the image as inspiration for the story. It is a picture of four origami dragons, two large and two small. Kinda like a little family! And it made me think about bonds between friends and bonds between family. So enjoy!_**

 ** _Beta'd By: Mama Sam and Grandma Lizzy ;) Love ya, Babes!_**

 ** _Word Count: 1,096_**

* * *

" _I'm scared that something's wrong with me," Ginny whispered the words into the teacup her mother had handed her when she arrived in a panic. "What if I can't give him the family that he wants, that he deserves?"_

" _Oh, Ginny," Molly crooned as she settled onto the sofa next to her daughter. "I had the same problem when your father and I got married, deary."_

 _Ginny shifted forward to set the cup down on the table before standing up to pace in front of her mother._

" _This is different! He's already got a nursery set up 'just in case' that he adds to every other day!" Ginny let out a frustrated groan before collapsing onto the sofa once more, propping her head up in her hands. "He just… he makes me so happy, Mum. I just want to make him happy in return."_

 _Molly stared at her daughter for a moment, her lips pressed together in a thin line. This was something she had vowed to never mention to anyone — but this was her child. She took a deep breath to brace herself before getting her wand out and flicking it quickly to put a barrier up. Ginny's head snapped up and matching brown eyes connected._

" _Mum?"_

" _What I am about to tell you is something that cannot leave this room, Ginerva. Do you understand?"_

" _I — yes." Ginny swallowed harshly before straightening in her seat._

" _When your father and I got married, we struggled to have kids." Molly closed her eyes as she lost herself in her memories. "That's when I learned that I was infertile due to spell damage that hadn't been repaired in time."_

 _Ginny's breath froze in her chest. None of this was making any sense!_

" _But," she took a deep breath before continuing her sentence, "what about us? Me and the boys are here! There are pictures of you pregnant with us!"_

" _Because I took matters into my own hands," Molly said, spreading her hands in front of her. "No one else knows, and the place I went to isn't exactly known for its light and airy atmosphere. If you decide to go the route I did, you have to have a way to get in and out without alerting anyone."_

 _Ginny searched her mother's eyes before nodding sharply._

" _Anything for Harry."_

"Ginny?" Hermione questioned. "Is everything alright?"

The two women stood in front of Potage's Cauldrons, cloaks swaying in the breeze created by the crowds of people scurrying past. Ginny was staring into the dark alleyway as Hermione stood tall next to her, glaring at any that sneered in their direction.

"I've never been down this way before. Mum would never let me out of her sight whenever we came here for school supplies." Ginny steeled herself before taking the first step into Knockturn Alley, Hermione at her side. Both women strode forward carefully but surely, keeping an eye on each other's backs as they walked. Empty bottles and torn papers littered the cobblestones, and Ginny grimaced as she stepped on something that squished under her boot.

"How much further is this place?" Hermione muttered the question under her breath as they ducked under an archway.

"It's right in front of us," Ginny said, shutting the soft chuckle that tried to rise up her throat down.

"'Life and Death.' Lovely." Ginny grinned at the sarcasm that dripped from her sister's words.

"I think it's rather catchy, we could put it on a t-shirt." It was nice, having a quiet giggle in the darkness of the alley. It brought back memories of when they would prank the boys back at Hogwarts.

"After you, Potter." Hermione dramatically yanked the door open as she deepened her voice.

The two women swept into the shabby store.

"We're closed!" A voice rasped from behind a half-eaten curtain.

"I'm here for Reaper's Breath. I was told it was available at all hours." Ginny spoke up as Hermione locked the door behind them. "Or was my informant in error?"

"Come to the back. The front is just a display."

Ginny and Hermione exchanged a glance before making their way back through the curtain. In the center of the room, a small man stood hunched over a boiling cauldron filled to the brim with a bright red liquid.

"Money is the root of all money, ladies." The man glanced at them before scoffing and turning back to his potion. "And you clearly do not have enough for this. Get out."

"You know not what you're doing, sir." Hermione glared at the man. "Nor do you know how much money we possess."

"Pah, two women dressed in pants and Muggle clothing? Both of you combined wouldn't have enough for two drops of the potion you seek."

Hermione turned to Ginny and raised an eyebrow. Ginny sighed, closing her eyes defeat. She knew that Hermione wouldn't work with people who treated her as lesser.

The two women left the shop and quickly made their way to the Apparating point.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Hermione questioned as she removed her cloak.

"What was what about?" Ginny avoided her sister's eyes.

"The ambiguous creepy shop with the asshole? Reaper's Breath? All of it?" Hermione sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and stared her best female friend down.

"I needed a potion that is very hard to come by." Ginny stared at the floor as she leaned against the counter.

"I got that much," Hermione stated as she leaned back in her chair. "What I want to know, is why you needed a fertility potion in the first place."

Ginny's eyes fell closed and she felt tears prick the corners of her eyelids.

"I can't get pregnant, Hermione."

"You're kidding." Ginny's hair slapped her cheeks as she quickly turned her head to glare at the other woman.

"No, I'm not kidding. What the hell?!" Ginny hissed out.

"Ginny, you're pregnant right now. I've known for the past week!"

"...What?"

"Harry did the spell when you fell asleep on the couch two weeks ago. He's confirmed it every morning when he got up!" Hermione's gaze turned concerned as she stood up from her chair. "Did you not know?"

"No…." Ginny blinked the tears out of her eyes before laughter escaped her lips and her legs crumpled out from underneath her. Hermione rushed to catch her and the two women ended up in a pile on the kitchen floor. The brunette stared at Ginny, stunned, before bursting into giggles as the redhead kept laughing.

"I'm pregnant!"


	21. A Tale of Two Brothers, Good Food, Fluff

**_Cannons Chaser 3_**

 ** _Prompts_**

 ** _Ignotus Peverell, Italy, Imp, Ink_**

 ** _"What are you doing here?"_**

 ** _(Word) Scream_**

 ** _(Sound) Gasp_**

 ** _The Insane House 215 Muggle!AU_**

 ** _Bathbombs 18 Write about two characters having a heart to heart._**

 ** _Sticker Location The Burrow Write about a family_**

 ** _Sticker Slytherin Collection (word) hope_**

 ** _A/N: This is a Muggle!AU set in modern times. Also, Morte is Gaelic for Death. ;)_**

 ** _Beta'd by: Amber and Jas_**

 ** _Word Count: 934_**

* * *

Cadmus rang the doorbell a second time, glancing over his shoulder. He pulled his jacket closer and rang the doorbell for a third time.

"Alright! I'm coming! Hold your bloody horses!" The shouts were followed by the sound of someone stomping through the house. A grin made its way onto Cadmus' face as the muttering grew closer. The door was yanked open, and his younger brother, Ignotus, froze with his mouth hanging open.

"Cadmus? What are you doing here? Weren't you back in London with what's-her-name?" Ignotus blinked and his head tilted slightly to the side, giving him the air of a confused puppy.

"Let's just say her family and I didn't really get along." Cadmus waved a hand dismissively before peering over his brother's shoulder. "Now are you going to let me in so we can catch up or do you have company?"

"Oh! No, no; come on in!" Ignotus hurriedly stepped to the side and motioned for his brother to enter. "I apologize for screaming at you earlier. I had stayed up all night and through the morning working on the latest chapter of my novel. I had just managed to fall asleep when you rang. Can I get you something to drink?"

Cadmus shook his head before sitting down in an armchair. "You never have had a set sleep schedule. I remember one night you stayed up working on an essay for Professor Sal's class and you fell asleep on top of it when you were done. The next morning there were ink stains all over your face!"

"At least I didn't fall asleep in class and wake up with permanent marker all over my face." Ignotus sniffed, grinning. "Seriously though brother, what brings you all the way to Italy? I thought I wouldn't be seeing you unless I flew out to London. Is everything alright?"

"Of course! I just… missed my brothers. And with Antioch all the way in China working on that project for his special promotion, you were the one I decided to come visit." Cadmus swallowed as he finished speaking, a hesitant smiling making its way onto his face.

"And I was switched at birth with an Imp changeling," Ignotus deadpanned, raising an eyebrow as he settled back against the sofa. "Tell me the truth. You're running away from someone and needed a place to hide. If it's an ex then Ani owes me twenty quid."

Cadmus froze, staring at his brother in shock.

"Do… do you and Antioch bet on my love life," he gasped in disbelief. Ignotus chuckled in response.

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

Cadmus groaned and then collapsed against the arm of his chair with a pout, only to look up at his brother with a grin. "Fine. But only if you cook your famous pot pie. I've been dying for it for ages and you know I can't cook to save my life."

Ignotus rolled his eyes and pushed up from his chair. "As long as you come and keep me awake and entertained; I was just getting to sleep when you showed up."

Cadmus sighed long and hard before rolling out of the chair to follow his brother.

"Can we have those pizza breadsticks too?!"

"You'll have to help." Ignotus pushed the door to his kitchen open and made his way over to the sink.

"So I don't have to cook?" Cadmus settled onto a stool with a grin. A small towel hit him in the face before plopping back onto the counter.

"You can cook and talk at the same time fool."

"Ugggghhhhh."

* * *

"So you're telling me that not only did her father walk in on you two, but you kept going?" Ignotus' fork fell from his fingers to clatter onto the table.

"Yefth." Cadmus grinned through his mouthful of food. He swallowed quickly. "And Mr. Morte now wants me dead. So I figured I should stay out of town for a month or three until the man forgets all about it." He quickly shoveled another bite of pot pie into his mouth.

"I don't know how we're brothers." Ignotus groaned as his head fell into his hands. "Why are you like this? Why do girls like you? I don't understand!"

"It's because I'm charming." Cadmus winked at his brother before burping loudly. He blinked in surprise before grinning. The two exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.

"Charming indeed."

"Seriously though, I don't know whether you are brave or stupid. I'm just gonna go with both." Ignotus grinned and picked his fork back up before reaching for one of the breadsticks.

"I'm brave and stupidly handsome in the words of my ex." Cadmus waved a half-eaten breadstick through the air. "You could only hope to be half as amazing as I am."

"Which ex?" Ignotus snickered, ducking as Cadmus threw his breadstick at him. "You have to have over a hundred by now!"

"There's only thirty-six!" Cadmus shot back. His head dropped with a thud onto the table. A snort sounded and Cadmus' head shot back up to glare at her brother. As soon as he did, a spoonful of pot pie smacked him in the face. His mouth dropped open, stunned at the fact that his 'food is only for eating' little brother just lobbed food at his face. Ignotus collapsed into a gasping pile of laughter, tears running down his face.

"It's not that funny!" Cadmus wiped the mess from his face, a grin sneaking onto his face as he grabbed a handful of pot pie from his bowl. "Let's see how you like it!"


	22. A Western Love (Built on Blood)

**_Written for Round one of Season 6 QLFC for the Falmouth Falcons._**

 ** _Chaser One: Write in a genre you've never written before._**

 ** _Extra Prompts: "Your silence scares me." , (setting) Thunderstorm, (object) Knife_**

 ** _HSW &WC&A Assignment 10: Subject Of Influential Women, Task # 8, Alt. Write about someone breaking down a metaphorical/invisible barrier. _**

**_WC: 1641 without A/N_**

Thunder rolled in the distance and Charlie frowned. He couldn't see any clouds in the sky, and yet he could feel the static in the air; electricity raised the hair on Charlie's forearms.

"It's going to be a bad one this time." He pushed himself off of the railing and made his way over to where Norbert was grazing in the field of wildflowers, his dark brown snout snuggling along the grass for a hint of food. His old friend lifted his head up when Charlie got close, and Charlie patted his neck as he made his way over to the saddle. One of the buckles had come loose during his ride and he had stopped them to tighten it real quick before he had gotten lost in the sight of the mountains. Thick hairy lips nibbled on Charlie's hair and he laughed, reaching a hand up to push away Norbert's wandering about.

"I know you're hungry, but Draco's got you on a strict diet at home so I can't feed you. We'll be home soon, and then you can stuff yourself fat on Draco's special grain mixture," Charlie promised as he swung the saddle up off of the rock it had been resting on, before gently placing it on top of the blanket over Norbert's back. It took a matter of seconds for him to go through the familiar motions of tightening the straps of the saddle to ensure it wouldn't fall off or flip during the ride. One last check found Charlie holding onto his hat with one hand as he grabbed the reins with the other. He set his left boot into the stirrup and lifted his right leg up and over.

"Alright, Norbert. Are you ready?" Charlie grinned as he settled into the saddle, pushing the center of his gravity forward as he leaned over Norbert's neck to whisper into his best friends ear. "Hiyah!"

A snap of the reigns made Norbert take off, his hooves kicking up bits of turf and flowers in his wake. Faster and faster horse and rider pushed, both man and beast embracing the cold bite of the wind as it pressed in and around them. Eventually the field of flowers and grass gave way to rocks and dust, and Charlie slowed Norbert down from a gallop to a light trot. Large rock formations and dust passed them quickly as they rode, and eventually the small forms of the farm the two travelers called home came into view.

"It looks like Draco is awake and awaiting us," Charlie beamed from the saddle, his eyes trailing the smoke that led from the chimney it had taken him a week to put together. "I wonder if he has dinner finished. What do you think, Norbert?"

Norbert shuffled, his mane shaking as he stomped one of his hooves against the ground. Charlie laughed and kicked his spurs into his horses sides, leaning down as Norbert broke into a sprint. As they grew closer, the details of their small farm became clearer. The cottage Charlie and Draco had built next to the old farm was the newest thing on the property. (The previous house had been burned down in a military raid, some of the embers still smouldering when the couple had stumbled upon it.) The wood had been painted a soft blue, the color of some of the flowers Draco insisted on growing around their front porch. Next to the cottage, a barn stood tall, with doors that squeaked and red paint that was chipped and falling off on three sides. The front of the barn was painted a dark green, the door replaced and squeak-free. Their renovations halted due to running out of new wood and paint.

As Charlie slowed Norbert to a stop next to the water trough, he smiled at the memories of building their home. Draco had complained endlessly about everything, his white blonde hair a mess in the ponytail he had been forced to put it in as they tore off board after board from the structure. He left his horse tied to a post next to the trough as he made his way up to his house. The front door swung open with a creak, the hinges still old and rusty from where they had been recycled.

"Charlie? That better be your white arse walking into this house or I swear to all that's holy I'm going to be dining on human meat tonight." Draco's voice echoed loudly through the kitchen and Charlie grinned at the loud thunk that sounded at the end of the threat. His Draco was a feisty man, his anger having earned him the nickname Dragon of the West. In fact, it was one of the reasons Charlie had cornered him in Tom's bar all those years ago.

"Dinner smells horrible as always, my beast," Charlie purred as he stepped into the kitchen. His eyes drifted to Draco's bare legs before slowly drifting upwards, a pleased noise escaping him at the sight of one of his old shirts hanging from a scarred shoulder.

"Must you insist on calling me a beast?" Draco whined, turning to glare over his shoulder. "I gave up my throat tearing days to settle down and still I am bothered!"

The pan was pulled from the stove, and the door was shut along with the vent to smother the flames. And then Draco was pressing himself against Charlie, hands cool as they traced the veins under his skin. Charlie in turn gathered his husband closer, pressing gentle lips to the scar over one eye.

"I will always call you my beast." Charlie clocked eyes with fiery grey. "For you fought your way out of Tom's with broken tooth and dulled nail, and have yet to allow anyone to believe they could control you. You and your knives are wild things that can never be contained, and for that you are a beast in their eyes. They think you a monster—"

"And you think me a savior," Draco finished, rolling his eyes as he pulled away. "I think that I'll never understand you and your poems."

"Darling, you love my poems." Charlie grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the counter to watch his husband work. Draco harrumphed as he picked up one of his knives and set to work chopping up the rest of the vegetables he had previously set out. The steel glitters in the light of the lantern, and Charlie smiled as he remembers the day the first met. Thunder tumbled and rolled overhead, and Charlie pushed off from the counter to stand behind Draco, arms wrapped around his waist.

"Do you remember the night we met?" Charlie whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of Draco's neck. Draco sighed, setting his knife down and leaning back into the embrace.

"I believe you tried to kill me in order to get close to Tom and murder him," Draco stated plainly, a smile tugging at his lips. Pale fingers reached up to gently trace along the scar marring his right eye. "You were the only person ever to succeed in turning one of my own knives against me."

"And you were the only person who didn't laugh at my prose," Charlie replied softly, pulling away to grab two bowls. "Shall we eat by the fire tonight? The storm's going to be a nasty one."

Quickly the two were set up in front of the fire on a bed of blankets and furs. Rain began to pour from the heavens, clacking against the rooftop like tiny hammers in a forge. Soon the food was gone and the bowls set aside, the couple lounging in a tangle as they stared into the dancing flames. Occasionally one or the other would move to press a soft kiss to visible skin, but it was taken no further than that. For each man was lost in their memories of the past.

Charlie was drawn from his recollections of their first month in each other's company by the flash of lightning. It occurred to him then that Draco hadn't moved in the past hour or so. Not even to press a kiss to his chest as he was so fond of doing!

"Your silence scares me. What's on your mind, Dragon Mine?" Charlie asked as he brushed blond locks out of Draco's face.

"Have you ever thought of having children, Charlie? Tiny people running about our farm chasing the hens and tugging on Norbert's mane." Draco sounded wistful, and heartbroken. Thunder booked overhead and the flames flickered as Charlie gathered his thoughts.

"On our wedding night I dreamed of a little girl with my eyes and your hair learning how to make your favorite pie. Both of you were covered in flour and, after the pie was in the oven, you both dragged me outside to play tag in the rain." Charlie swallowed. "It is a dream that keeps haunting me even after all these years."

Draco chuckled sadly at the image before turning on Charlie's arms to press a kiss over his heart. He swallowed harshly before looking up into Charlie's eyes.

"I used to dream of a little girl with wild red curls and freckles learning to read by the fireplace. She would laugh and her nose would crinkle like yours does when I catch you off guard." Draco wistfully reached up to press a thumb between Charlie's eyebrows, stroking gently. "And whenever a thunderstorm like the one tonight passed over, she would climb into our bed and ask for a story."

Charlie blinked away tears as he reached up his hand to wipe away his husband's.

"We'll have our family one day, "Charlie vowed, pressing a kiss to Draco's forehead. "Until then I am perfectly happy with just you."


	23. Bruises of Proof (Black and Forest Green

**_Written for:_**

 ** _Falcons Chaser One Round Two: Write about a light character protecting themselves._**

 ** _Extra Prompts: (Character) Charlie Weasley, (Word) Proof, (color) Forest Green_**

 ** _Showtime: Price and Son Theme / The Most Beautiful Thing in the World - (character) Charlie Weasley_**

 ** _Amber's Attic: Caribou Lou: Write about getting drunk._**

 ** _Count Your Buttons: Soulmate AU_**

 ** _Lyric Alley: (Inspiration) Of having hope in this insanity_**

 ** _Ami's Audio Admirations: 5.0 It's really good. Fact. — Write about someone loving something/someone._**

 ** _Hot Air Balloon: 16 (AU) Soulmates_**

 ** _Word Count: 1010 without A/N_**

"That's a right nasty bruise you've got there."

Charlie glanced up from his beer. The bartender was cleaning the counter in front of him, his eyes peeking over at the large marking that took over half of his face. He sighed. This was a game that he and Binns played every time he came to this bar. Binns would pretend to not know his name and Charlie would pretend that he had been the one to earn these marks instead of his soulmate. "How'd you earn a shiner like that, Chad?"

"Someone insulted my sister," Charlie grinned, tilting his half drained bottle in the direction of a fiery redhead dancing the tango with a tall blonde, "so I insulted their dead mother."

Binns hummed and threw the rag he had been using over his shoulder. The old man crossed his arms as he leaned against the bar and nodded at Ginny and Luna entangled on the dance floor.

"If there's one thing I've learned in all of my years, Harley, it's that love is a powerful thing. Us humans, we'll do anything to gain and keep it." There was a far-away look in his eyes as Binns trailed the fingers of one hand across his chest in a slow pattern. Charlie took another sip of his beer and found himself wondering who Binns had lost in his life. "So I don't know why you're telling me lies about fistfights for your sibling's honor when it's right clear that your other half is out there getting the snot beaten out of himself."

Charlie sighed and stood up with a sad smile, turning his gaze away from both the old bartender and his sister.

"Love also destroys, my good friend, and I would rather live and be happy than spend the rest of my life trying to find a person who gets themselves beaten everyday no matter what. I can count on it like clockwork." A dry chuckle pushed its way passed his lips. Charlie shook his head, tilting his head back to look over his shoulder with a wry smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if this forest green mural turned black within the week."

And with that Charlie walked out of the bar, hands in his pockets as the clouds opened up above him. It was a Tuesday night, so the streets were empty at this late hour — a fact that Charlie found himself grateful for. In ten minutes he had made his way to his apartment and locked himself in his art studio, his shirt soaked through from the rain causing him to shiver as he made his way over to the heater.

"Blasted rain…" Charlie muttered under his breath as he stripped himself of his shirt, throwing the article of clothing into a distant corner to be forgotten. He made his way over to his painting easel where it was situated next to a wall of mirrors. (He had gotten a wonderful deal on the place. It had once been a dance studio, but a string of homicides happened a floor below a few years before Charlie moved into the town, which lowered the price of the place significantly.)

He turned on the lamp above him and immediately began to contemplate the different paints laid out before him. Tans and reds and yellows and greens in every shade were spread across the desk Charlie had dragged over, each color glinting in the light as if tempting him to pick that color to use next. A glance towards the mirror had Charlie's paint brush sweeping through the forest green to collect a glob on its bristles. Grass green and turtle green were abandoned as Charlie began to sketch out the basic shape of the mark that spread across his face.

"Charlie."

The redhead froze, his eyes darting up to the mirror. Lucius Malfoy, his flatmate and boyfriend stood reflected there, his long blonde hair draped over one shoulder as he stared back with cold grey eyes.

"Lucius, I…" Charlie sighed as he let the paintbrush clatter to the floor, a hand coming up to rub at his face, fingers trailing over the mark.

"I know."

And Lucius did know what Charlie was going through — the Black mark that stretched across the pale neck hidden beneath turtlenecks signifies that enough. His soulmate, a woman once known as Narcissa, had died ten years prior at the hands of a homicidal maniac known as the Lord, her throat slit on live television for all to see.

These marks, these splashes of color were simply proof that the universe didn't know everything. Charlie was sure of that. After all, how else could the universe have given him someone else besides Lucius as his soulmate? Charlie stood up and met Lucius halfway, arms coming up to cradle his lover. Soft lips pressed against the dark green mark that covered Charlie's right eye and nose, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.

"Come on, let's finish your painting," Lucius' voice was soft as he dragged Charlie over to the easel, stooping down to pick up the fallen paint brush. He cleaned the paint off the brush in the water tin before pressing the handle back between Charlie's fingers and leaving the room.

It was for nights like this that Charlie found himself grateful for Lucius. The other man understood that this was Charlie's way of dealing with his soulmate. That the paintings were Charlie's proof to himself that—even though Charlie hated them, despised them for the marks that marred his skin—his soulmate was still alive. That the other half of Charlie still existed in this world.

And Charlie hated it.

He hated it, but he needed it. The marks of forest green across his skin protected him from the pain of the Black mark, the Death mark, and having those marks immortalized in painting would protect Charlie for when that Black mark would mar his skin. These paintings would be like the newspaper clippings Lucius kept in the binder in their safe.

Proof.


	24. A Little Sparkle (Adds a Little Light)

_**Written for:**_

 _ **Falmouth Falcons Chaser One: Use Tamagotchi as inspiration for your story**_

 _ **Chaser Prompts: (Genre) Family, (object) Sweater/Jumper, (Object) Glitter**_

 _ **This is an Muggle!AU where Charlie and Draco meet in New York**_

 _ **Word Count: 1,317**_

* * *

Draco scowled up at the sky, glaring up at the storm clouds as if he could scare the rain away. He pulled his sweater in tighter around his hands and crossed his arms over his chest as he quickened his pace. He was only ten minutes away from the apartment he and Charlie shared, and he was hoping to make it before the skies opened up on hi-

"Mrow!"

Draco paused, his head tilting to the side as a frown slid over his face. He could've sworn he'd just heard a cat. Only, a glance around revealed not a single animal in sight. What with the late hour and the threat of rain hanging overhead, most people were either in their homes or in their cars, and their pets with them. Even the birds had hidden themselves away, their songs quietened by the electricity that hung heavy in the air. The stress from work was getting to him again; struggling to keep Molly's Orphanage open and juggle the finances and children at the same time taking its toll. He let out a groan and slid a sleepy hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes before running his fingers through his hair.

He was just so tired.

"Mrrreeeoooow."

This time, Draco came to a complete stop on the sidewalk, turning to face the alley the cry had come from. Thunder roared overhead and this time Draco was able to hear the terrified hiss that echoed in it. He made his way into the darkened space without thought, grey eyes scanning the bags of trash and discarded newspapers for a tiny form that didn't belong. Lightning flashed across the sky, signaling the clouds to release their load, and rain began to pour down. In the fading light, a shivering form shifted in the shadows of a large dumpster and Draco crouched down, holding out his hand and making small cooing noises.

 _What am I doing?_ Draco asked himself for a moment, quickly shoving the thought away. He knew why he was doing this. Slowly, ever so slowly, he coaxed the kitten into his arms. The sky was so dark he could barely see his hands, but he didn't need to see in order to feel the tiny animal quaking.

"Poor thing," Draco murmured, pulling his cupped hands in closer to his chest. "Let's get you warm."

He shifted the kitten to one hand and lifted up the edge of his sweater, the fabric providing a small protection from the rain. As he pulled it away from his skin, he quickly shifted the kitten to rest against his bare chest, releasing his sweater to envelop it in a semblance of warmth.

"There we go, that should last us until we get home."

~::~::~::~::~

Charlie chuckled as Clara stuck her tongue out in concentration. Her tiny brow furrowed as she focused on covering the piece of paper in glue, a design of her choosing appearing in liquid white. When she was done, she gently set the bottle down and turned large, grey doe eyes on him, her lashes fluttering lightly.

"You know that only works on your father," Charlie teased, reaching out to bop her on the nose with his index finger. His hands flashed through the signs quickly after, and then again, slower this time after she asked him to repeat it. She rolled her eyes playfully, grinning as she pointed at the containers Charlie had lined up across the table. Different colors of glitter sparkles in little jars, and Charlie just knew that Clara couldn't wait to make a mess with them.

A waving hand drew Charlie's attention, and he felt himself melt when her right hand came up to rub small circles in the middle of her chest. When Charlie narrowed his eyes at her, she widened her eyes. Her right hand left her chest and moved up to her forehead, fingers spreading wide and her thumb tapped gently twice. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she opened her mouth.

"Da-Ae, pee?" As she spoke, her right hand drifted back down to rub another circle against her chest.

"Alright, but don't tell your father," Charlie grinned, leaning forward to place a finger against his lips and wink. "He really wanted to do this together."

Clara repeated his last sign, bumping her closed fists against each other with a grin. Her hands came apart to start signing again, her eyes taking on a mischievous gleam. She was about halfway through her sentence when a voice came from the front door.

"Love, can you distract her for a moment?!"

Charlie blinked, turning to look at the door. Before he could ask why, Clara was darting from her chair, tiny legs carrying her over quickly. She jumped up and down on her toes as she reached for the doorknob and swung the door open.

A snort escaped Charlie before he could stop himself at the sight of his husband standing in the doorway drenched. Dark blonde hair hung in his eyes, and the sweater Charlie's mum had knitted was soaked through, clinging to his shivering form. Clara was bouncing in front of him, her hands a flurry of movement as Draco smiled down at her fondly. Charlie stood up from the table and walked over to his husband, pressing a kiss to his cold cheek before crouching down in front of Clara.

"Daddy has to go dry off and then we'll start our project, okay?" Charlie asked, his eyes darting to look up at Draco who, for some reason, was clutching at his chest. "Why don't you start picking out which colors you want while I help Daddy dry off quicker?"

Clara dashed off with an excited squeal as Draco and Charlie quickly made their way to their bedroom. Draco wasted no time in getting undressed, stripping the sweater off and throwing it in the corner where it landed with a loud splat. When Charlie had turned around from cracking the door, Draco was fussing over a small bundle on the bed.

"Is everything okay?" Charlie walked over to their closet and began rummaging around for his old university sweatshirt. Draco hadn't bothered putting on another shirt, and Charlie preferred his husband on the warm side. "What's that you've got on the bed?"

"A surprise for Clara if the little guy lasts through the night." Draco shifted and Charlie gasped at the small kitten in his hands.

"No." Charlie mockingly glowered at his husband, tossing the sweatshirt in his face. "You got her a kitten?! That is so not fair! I brought out the glitter and everything!"

Draco laughed, slipping on the sweatshirt and picking up the now sleeping kitten. "I hope you know you're going to be the one cleaning that mess up."

Charlie groaned again, grinning when Draco ran apologetic fingers through his hair. A loud thud sounded from outside the door, and the two exchanged a look before making their way back towards the kitchen. Clara was standing in a large puddle of glitter, a bright grin on her face as she held up the paper she had covered with glue and glitter.

There, portrayed in multi-colored glitter, was a stick figure family.

"You know what?" Charlie spoke up, grinning widely. "I'm not even mad. This is too cute for me to be mad."

"Not as cute as our daughter will be cuddling a baby kitten on the couch after a movie marathon." Draco declared back, crouching down and opening up his hands with a soft smile.

Clara squealed, dropping her paper and rushing over to kneel in front of him. Her eyes were wide as she reached out with a glitter covered finger to gently stroke the kitten's forehead.

Charlie watched on as Draco explained everything with a smile, his heart soaring with the love he felt for their small family.

Everything was just perfect.

* * *

 _A/N: Clara is using American Sign as that's what I'm more familiar with. Clara can both sign and read lips, but because she's still young, she's still working on saying things out loud. I've based all of this off of a little boy I babysit and his interactions with his family, so I really hope I did it justice!_


	25. Pillows So Soft (Until They Fall Apart)

i.

Pillows were nice, they decided. They didn't provide heat like a warm rock, and they couldn't very well eat it, but it was soft, and they hadn't felt anything soft since they had left her egg. Their coils slithered and slid over over the fabric, sinking in until they were all relaxed. They let out a happy hiss before turning and wiggling their tongue out at the large human above them.

" _This is nice. Will there be more pillows when I grow?_ "

A weird hiccuping hiss came from above, a hand reaching out to stroke their scales once.

" _I'll make sure you have an endless supply of pillows, Little One. Here at Hogwarts, we always provide what is needed._ "

They laid their head down on one of their coils, content to lie there in the warmth and watch their silly human wave around a silly stick. Bright flashes of color followed his motions and they slowly fell asleep to thoughts of warm rocks, full bellies, and gentle stroking fingers.

 _ii._

Time passed quickly for them, days and nights flashing by in cuddles by a fire as hands oiled their delicate scales. And then one day while they were napping, a voice called out.

" _Hello, my Little One, have you destroyed any plots for evil today?_ " It was the Warm One! They peeked out of the cave letting out happy hiss at the large cow laid at the feet of their Warm One.

" _The Loud One tried to enter your cave so I hissed at them_ ," they declare proudly, puffing up their scales and raising their head so that they glint elegantly in the firelight. The Warm One chuckled, a familiar hiccuping hiss that they had grown to crave.

" _I'm sure you gave him a rightful scare. Now, why don't you come over and eat your dinner? We can talk more afterwards._ "

They hissed in excitement, rushing over to the dead cow and wrapping it in their large coils. Once they had a good grip, their coils tight, tight, tightened until a loud 'pop!' sounded. They relaxed their coils, pulling them back to reveal the cow split in half. Their jaw dropped open, cracking as it unhinged, and with one large swallow the head half of the cow was gone. They let out a happy hum, coiling into a large pile next to the Warm One. A nudge of their head pushed the hind end of the cow towards their friend.

" _You should eat. You're getting smaller and whiter by the day._ " They let their tail move closer to the Warm One, wrapping it delicately about his shoulders. " _Get out your stick and make yourself a nice warm fire, and I'll grab some of my pillows. We can nap just like we used to._ "

The Warm One smiles — showing off his multiple flat fangs — and does as they request, pulling his stick out of his flesh-scales. It took little effort to drag over some of their favorite pillows and push them to surround their Warm One. Then they surrounded the many pillows with their coils, resting their head in the Warm One's lap. He chuckled their favorite hiccuping hiss again, bring his hands up to stroke the top of their head.

" _I'm afraid to ruin our moment, Little One, but I have a favor to ask of you._ "

And he sounded so lost, so broken, that they let out a whimpering hiss, tilting their head to flick their tongue gently against his face.

" _Ask of it, and I will give it to you._ "

For he had done many things for them. The Warm One had loved them, cared for and cherished them, taught them how to hunt, how to speak, how to laugh and smile and live and love.

" _I am dying._ "

They recoiled, shaking their head.

" _No! You are still young! We have only lived a hundred and fifty years together! We should live for a thousand more!_ "

The Warm One brought out his silly stick again, waving it once before stepping through the air until he was even with them. His gentle hands — hands that had fed them and loved them, hands that had helped them shed their first skin — reached up to cup their nose, stroking fondly.

" _Oh, Little One. I wish that I could live the rest of your life with you. But you are still young, and I am but a man — one of those beasts who are cursed with a short but brilliant life. All that I ask of you, my child, is that you stay and protect Hogwarts for me. Please, Little One._ "

They let out a keen, wailing for their Warm One — for they could not cry like he could, the only way to release their grief was to scream and they couldn't do that without hurting their Warm One.

" _Don't leave me alone again! Father! Warm One! Friend! Family!_ "

They fell from the air, coiling in on themselves as they began to shake with their grief. Thudding sounded loud all around them, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once.

" _Warm One!_ " They turned their gaze on their friend, begging for it to not be true.

" _Don't go,_ " they whispered.

The Warm One smiled, tears like crystals falling down his cheeks.

 _"I must."_

 _iii._

They didn't know how many centuries had passed in the darkness. With the Warm One left the fires, the pillows, light and laughter, joy and life. The only things that had remained with them in the cave had been the drip, drip, drip of the water and the squeaking of the mice who delivered news of their territory to them.

 _It's a boy. He comes._

 _He comes._

And then there was light. It was a bright piercing white light that hurt their eyes and had them shrieking with pain.

" _Who dares to enter my cave?! Who dares to disturb my sleep?!_ " They roar out the words, letting them echo with their pain.

" _Do you not remember me, Little One? I even brought you a snack._ "

And then their eyes have finished adjusting and before them stands a boy who looks just like their Warm One, a silly stick glowing in his hand as a weird looking cow lay at his feet. (And what a silly cow it was, wearing the flesh-scales of a human! Didn't it know that it had four of those arms while a human only had two?)

And hope surged through them as skeletal hands lovingly stroked their scales, reminding them of a time long ago.

And blood filled their stomach. (They were used to their meal being bony, but they weren't used to the screaming and pleas for help.)

And a voice whispered — quietly, lovingly, hauntingly — in their ear.

" _Kill them all, my Little One._ "

And they whispered again the words that had broken their heart all those years ago.

" _Ask of it, and I will give it to you._ "

* * *

 ** _Note 1: Some Snakes can only see infrared because they spend most of their time in the dark, while other snakes can actually see crystal clear because they spend so much time out in the sun! It really cool!_**

 ** _Note 2: In the magical world of Author-land I have decreed that Basilisk's have no gender for themselves. They simply are. However! They are aware that other species have genders! Hence why this is in they/them/their pronouns and yet refers to the Warm One as He._**

 ** _Write from a pet's perspective about mistreatment or abandonment (of pets or people). Extra Prompts: (word) pillow, (object) stick, (restriction) no names_**

 ** _Falmouth Falcons, Chaser One_**

 ** _Word Count: 1134 without A/N_**


	26. Break (Move On)

_**Write about someone born in February (Arthur, Luna, or Newt)**_

 _ **Extra Prompts: (color) taupe, (dialogue) "If you are going to breathe down my neck, at least have a mint), (word) refreshed**_

 _ **Warning: mentions of torture**_

 _ **1408 words**_

* * *

"My Lord, we have two more," Bellatrix said proudly, her dark eyes flickering with pride.

He nodded. His thin lips stretched into a malicious smile. "Well done." He motioned quickly with his hand. "Bring them in."

Bellatrix returned his smile before stepping outside again. A moment later, she was back, pushing two bound and gagged teenage girls along.

The disappointment must have been clear in his expression—important people like Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minerva McGonagall were out there, and his lieutenant was bringing him back _children_?—because Bellatrix rushed to push the first girl forward, a nervous laugh bubbling from her lips. "Look, my Lord," she said, pulling the girl roughly by her red hair. "It's the Weasley! Please don't be—"

"Enough!" He moved forward and removed her gag with a quick flick of his wand.

"If you are going to breathe down my neck," she snapped, her freckled face scrunching up, "at least have a mint."

Another movement of his wand, and she was gagged again. Voldemort moved to the next girl, amused by the clear difference. The girl with matted blonde hair and bare feet seemed almost tranquil, like she had been sedated.

"The Lovegood brat," Bellatrix said proudly.

He nodded. Now he understood why Bellatrix was so eager to bring him her new toys. These were not ordinary, unimportant teenagers. After Longbottom's public execution a month before, only Lovegood and Weasley remained to lead that ridiculous underground resistance, Dumbledore's Army. Without those two, the rest would crumble.

The Dark Lord removed the other girl's gag. No angry words came out. Instead, she stared at him with her wide, pale eyes.

"It's okay," she said, her soft voice dreamy and sweet. "I know you just have a Wrackspurt infestation."

He didn't bother to gag her again. She was already so calm and docile that there didn't seem to be a point. The other girl, however, continued struggling against her restraints, steadily murmuring angrily against her gag.

"Take the Weasley girl," he told Bellatrix. "I'm sure you will enjoy breaking her."

"Thank you, my Lord," Bellatrix said with a polite bow of her head. She grabbed Weasley by her arm, squeezing tight enough that her fingernails pierced the skin and streaks of blood striped the young witch's pale skin. "And the other one?" Her dark eyes were alight with sadistic glee, no doubt imagining the many things she could do.

But Voldemort shook his head. He reached out and patted his most faithful follower's cheek. "You're bloodlust is admirable, Bellatrix," he praised, "but you mustn't get greedy. This one is mine."

If the Lovegood girl was afraid she didn't show it. Her head remained high, and she kept her serene expression.

Perhaps she would not be as fun to break as the Weasley girl—the ones who were made of flame and anger were always the hardest and most rewarding to break—but he would enjoy himself nonetheless. Each little rebellion that he crushed meant he was solidifying his power. That made everything worth it.

x

Nearly a week passed before he decided to visit the Lovegood girl in her cell. He wanted to visit sooner, but he knew he needed to be patient. The solitude would break her.

When he stepped into the cell, however, his illuminated wand tip flooding the darkness with light, she didn't look at all bothered. Her eyes found him, and she smiled. "Hello again," she said. "I thought you might visit soon."

She didn't try to escape or attack him. All she did was sit there, rubbing her dirty hands over her tattered white dress and leaving it smudged with taupe dirt stains. Despite her time in the dark, musty prison, she still looked refreshed, like she was enjoying a stay at a nice retreat.

Voldemort didn't understand how she could look so calm. She'd been left in darkness, completely alone for five days.

"Are you not afraid?" he asked.

The Lovegood girl shook her head, her matted curls thumping against her neck. "I like the dark," she said, her bony shoulders shrugging upward. "It isn't as lovely as the light, but it's still rather beautiful, don't you think?"

"I don't find anything beautiful."

Chapped lips forming a sad smile, she leaned back, resting her head against the damp brick wall. "I know. That's why I feel sorry for you," she told him.

"I do not need your pity, Lovegood. I am on the winning side."

"Luna," she said softly.

"Excuse me?"

She smiled wider. "My name is Luna," she clarified. "Or Loony, but that isn't very nice."

He rubbed his temples. This conversation was going nowhere fast. There had to be a way to break her; he would find it.

x

Torture didn't work either. He was never one to get his hands terribly dirty—murder was one thing, but he was never quite sadistic enough to enjoy torturing his victims.

Bellatrix was more than eager. Voldemort stood back and allowed his faithful servant to subject Lovegood to the Cruciatus Curse again and again.

The girl looked so pitiful. Her thin body twisted this way and that, and her screams filled the air.

But she didn't break. Whenever she caught her breath, she just smiled again and said something about forgiveness. Bellatrix lifted her wand to curse her again, but Voldemort intervened.

"My Lord—?"

"Enough. I do not want her mind damaged," he said darkly.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Leave us, Bellatrix."

She looked like she might argue, but he silenced her with a glare. Bellatrix hung her head, her dark curls curtaining her pale face. Muttering under her breath, she stormed off, leaving Voldemort alone with the odd girl.

He approached her. Though she trembled from the aftershocks of the torture, she didn't look afraid of him.

He circled her like a predator observing its prey. Her head was held high, but there was something in those silvery eyes he had never seen before. He'd seen anger, defiance, panic and so many other emotions, but none of those described what he saw in her now.

"You're not breaking."

Lovegood only smiled in answer.

x

It took nearly a month, but he found a solution.

He sat down with her, and he _talked._

Emotions were useless to him. He didn't care about friendship or love, and the only desire that fueled him was the desire to achieve greatness and create a world that was his. But others liked emotions. The Lovegood girl had them, and he needed to understand them. That was the only way to find the secret to her mind. Then he could be done with this baffling mystery that became a tiresome obsession.

Once Lovegood was broken, he could do so much more.

x

"Why aren't you afraid?"

The girl smiled at him. "I don't care if you hurt me," she said. "It's only temporary."

Voldemort studied her. How could she mean that? Most people tried to avoid pain. The brat, however, simply accepted it.

He had hoped she would be more compliant, but he wasn't surprised. Only an idiot would spill their dark secrets and hand the enemy the keys to their downfall. But he had still hoped that starvation and isolation would loosen her tongue.

"Very well," he said, raising his wand. " _Legilimens_."

x

It all made sense when he saw her mind.

She was lonely. She spent years being bullied and afraid.

But there was hope. He watched as she smiled when the Weasley girl sat down beside her.

She wasn't alone anymore; she had friends.

And he had his answer.

x

The Weasley girl was close to breaking. Bones poked against her skin. Taupe and purple bruises painted her body while wounds, old and new, streaked her skin.

The fire was gone from her eyes. She barely even managed a scowl.

Voldemort checked the Lovegood girl's bindings to make sure she was secure. He said a quick spell to keep her eyes open. There was no way he would let her look away.

Bellatrix approached the Weasley girl and smiled nastily as she forced the young witch onto her knees. "At your command," she said proudly.

"Do your worst," he said before turning his back on them.

As he walked away, it wasn't just the Weasley girl screaming. The sweet, docile little Lovegood brat cried out, her sobs loud and echoing as she called out, "Ginny!" over and over.

He smiled to himself. He was one step closer.


End file.
